Disaster preparedness, perceived community resilience, and place of rural villages in northwest China

Abstract

Disaster preparedness is an essential way to improve community resilience. This study examines the linkage between Chinese villagers’ adoption of disaster preparedness activities and their perception of community resilience, measured by the Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit. Survey data from three villages with different landscapes (loess plateau, plain and mountain) in northwest China with great earthquake risks but no occurrence for many years is used. Regression analyses demonstrate that the awareness related preparedness and public participation preparedness are significantly and positively associated with the community resilience assessment, while the material preparedness is not significant nor consistent across the domains of community resilience. Moreover, place (i.e., landscapes) matter in residents’ assessment of their community resilience: villagers from the plain area and mountainous area reported much higher resilience scores, compared to those who live in the loess plateau.