Abstract
This study aimed to further our understanding of a characteristic of Community Resilience known as Disaster Governance. Three attributes of Disaster Governance—redundancy, diversity, and overlap—were studied in four coastal towns in southern Chile that are at risk of tsunamis. Overall, we explored how different spatial structures of human settlements influence Disaster Governance. Using the Projective Mapping Technique, the distribution of emergency institutions (N = 32) and uses given to specific sites (e.g., for refuge, sanitary purposes and medical attention) were mapped. Content and GIS analyses (Directional Distribution and Kernel Density Index) were used to explore the dispersion and concentration of institutions and uses in each town. Disaster Governance was found to be highly influenced by decisions taken during regional, urban, and emergency planning. Governance is better in towns of higher order in the communal hierarchical structure. Most of the emergency institutions were found to be located in central and urban areas, which, in turn, assures more redundancy, overlap, and diversity in governance in the event of a tsunami. Lack of flexibility of emergency plans also limits governance in rural and indigenous areas. While the spatial relationships found in this study indicate that urban sectors have better Disaster Governance than rural and indigenous sectors, the influence of resource availability after tsunamis, the role and responsibility of different levels of governments, and the politics of disaster also play an important role in Disaster Governance for determining Community Resilience. These findings shed light on emergency planning and aspects of the Disaster Management cycle.
Highlights
Community Resilience refers to the capacity of systems to cope and adapt after extreme events in such a way that they maintain their basic structure, function, and identity [1,2]
Resilience in the human environment refers to how communities efficiently prepare, plan, and adapt in the case of extreme events; achieving Community Resilience implies knowing the characteristics of the territory that affect resilience, before, during and after a disturbance and taking the necessary actions to improve resilience before another catastrophic event
This study is aimed at furthering our understanding of Community Resilience through the lens of Disaster Governance in coastal environments
Summary
Community Resilience refers to the capacity of systems to cope and adapt after extreme events in such a way that they maintain their basic structure, function, and identity [1,2]. Resilience refers to a set of processes that link and guide networked capacities to assure adaptation after disturbance [3]. Community Resilience is a challenge for governments at all levels. Community Resilience is determined by the inherent characteristics of the system and the resources it possesses. Resilience in the human environment refers to how communities efficiently prepare, plan, and adapt in the case of extreme events; achieving Community Resilience implies knowing the characteristics of the territory that affect resilience, before, during and after a disturbance and taking the necessary actions to improve resilience before another catastrophic event
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