Disaster Risk Reduction Community Research Articles

Inclusivity in online and distance disaster education: A review of educators' views

Future exemplary education should foster inclusive and respectful learning environments to meet new challenges like digital inequality and power concentration. In the new normal of education due to COVID-19, inclusive online disaster risk reduction (DRR) education is essential. Therefore, this article aims to investigate the current status quo of inclusive online and distance DRR education and its benefits. Expert interviews were conducted with 40 educators with experience in 13 countries. The experts were selected based on their experience in designing and/or delivering courses/modules related to disaster management and/or disaster risk reduction at the tertiary level. The interview questions covered 3 key aspects i.e., 1. the effectiveness of online delivery methods, 2. the status quo of online and distant DRR education and 3. the unique benefits of online education for DRR. The key findings suggest that an online setting works best when it is scientifically designed for the right audience, the right subject area, and the right mix. In creating inclusivity in DRR education, the digital divide needs to be acknowledged and interactive learning should be diversely designed. This study identifies gaps in digital disaster education, urging policy and practice changes to support diverse DRR communities beyond education providers and recipients.

The Potential and Roles of Ethnic Minorities in Disaster Risk Reduction: IDRiM2022 Conference Session Report on Muslim Communities in Japan

Ethnic minority groups are considered vulnerable due to their cultural, linguistic, and religious differences, but some are resilient and may have the potential to work as critical stakeholders in disaster risk reduction (DRR). The special session “Minority communities in DRR” at the 2022 IDRiM conference focused on the potential and roles of ethnic minority groups, especially mosques in Japan that are mainly managed by foreign nationals. This technical summary aims to (1) summarize presentations and discussion from the session and (2) describe future research directions regarding ethnic minority communities in general and Muslims in Japan in particular. The session presented various activities undertaken by mosques, including functioning as coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination sites and evacuation shelters for foreign nationals, and relief suppliers (e.g., sending donations and volunteers) in natural hazard-related disasters (e.g., earthquake and flood). The presentations and discussion could lead to micro, meso, and macro perspectives in future studies where the related individuals (e.g., mosque managers and users), the mosque’s networks, and the overall trend of mosques throughout the country are focused on, respectively. The findings of this session and future research will help us further comprehend their potential and roles, empower them, and contribute to building multi-stakeholder partnerships to realize a society where no one is left behind.

Integrating Indigenous perspectives and community-based disaster risk reduction: A pathway for sustainable Indigenous development in Northern Pakistan

UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework of Action 2015–2030 place great importance on including Indigenous communities in disaster risk reduction (DRR) planning through community-based strategies. However, working with Indigenous communities requires developing a holistic understanding of the complexities of Indigenous worldviews, knowledges, and practices that influence Indigenous DRR. To date, efforts to do so have been limited. To fill this gap, we combined systems theory and symbolic interactionism as holistic philosophical lens to explore the complex interactions of individual and contextual factors that influence DRR in a remote Pakistani Indigenous community. A synergy of critical Indigenous methodology, grounded theory, case study and ethnography as research methodologies led to employing conversations, yarning circles and participant observation as data collection methods. The data from nineteen participants were collected, interpreted and analysed with the help of a local Indigenous co-researcher over the period of four months. The emerged grounded theory identified eleven categories pertaining to the facilitators and barriers of community’ DRR. The local culture Pukhtunwali and its components, Islamic teachings, good physical health, NGOs, community organisations and community's adaptive capacities facilitated DRR; whereas, lack of community-based DRR structure, inadequate welfare services, some religious beliefs, poverty and climate change hindered DRR of the community. The categories were weaved together to generate a core category that indicates that development agencies specialising in different areas need to work with Indigenous communities in interdependent and complementary partnerships for sustainable development in Pakistan. We offer our recommendations to accomplish genuine interdependent and complementary partnerships.

Applications of Satellite Radar Imagery for Hazard Monitoring: Insights from Australia

Earth observation (EO) satellites facilitate hazard monitoring and mapping over large-scale and remote areas. Despite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites being well-documented as a hazard monitoring tool, the uptake of these data is geographically variable, with the Australian continent being one example where the use of SAR data is limited. Consequently, less is known about how these data apply in the Australian context, how they could aid national hazard monitoring and assessment, and what new insights could be gleaned for the benefit of the international disaster risk reduction community. The European Space Agency Sentinel-1 satellite mission now provides the first spatially and temporally complete global SAR dataset and the first opportunity to use these data to systematically assess hazards in new locations. Using the example of Australia, where floods and uncontrolled bushfires, earthquakes, resource extraction (groundwater, mining, hydrocarbons) and geomorphological changes each pose potential risks to communities, we review past usage of EO for hazard monitoring and present a suite of new case studies that demonstrate the potential added benefits of SAR. The outcomes provide a baseline understanding of the potential role of SAR in national hazard monitoring and assessment in an Australian context. Future opportunities to improve national hazard identification will arise from: new SAR sensing capabilities, which for Australia includes a first-ever civilian EO capability, NovaSAR-1; the integration of Sentinel-1 SAR with other EO datasets; and the provision of standardised SAR products via Analysis Ready Data and Open Data Cubes to support operational applications.

Barriers to Enhancing Disaster Risk Reduction and Community Resilience: Evidence from the L’Aquila Disaster

Building sustainable and resilient societies is a multidimensional challenge that affects achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In crises and disasters, civil protection authorities typically use emergency powers and a command-and-control approach to manage resources and to design and implement disaster management interventions. They centralise knowledge, technologies and responsibilities for prevention, mitigation and monitoring, while stifling the capacities of local communities to reduce disaster risks and impacts. The mechanism they enact leads to a poor understanding of the capacities of local people to learn and transform, and of how community wellbeing, vulnerabilities, and resilience influence disaster risks. The mechanism does not strengthen the role of local communities in disaster risk reduction. Instead, it facilitates disaster capitalism at all levels of society. Drawing on the disaster risk reduction and resilience paradigm and on our analysis of the disaster management interventions conducted before and after the 6 April 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy, we discuss the main constraints to implementing the four Priority Areas in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: (1) Understanding risk in its multiple dimensions; (2) strengthening disaster risk governance; (3) investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience; and (4) enhancing preparedness and build back better in response, recovery and reconstruction. We discuss how top-down, emergency-centred civil protection approaches create second disasters, and fail in all four priorities. We suggest that shifts in paradigm and investment are required in disaster management and development practice from centralised civil protection systems to decentralised, socially sustainable community empowerment systems.

Simulating synergies between Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction stakeholders to improve management of transboundary disasters in Europe

Natural hazards and climate-related disasters disregard political borders, where additional barriers can complicate mitigation, response and recovery efforts within and between the sectors of Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The ESPREssO Project (Enhancing Synergies for Disaster Prevention in the European Union) aims to improve management of transboundary disasters by encouraging closer synergies between the CCA and DRR communities. Using targeted stakeholder interviews, questionnaires, Think Tank discussions and purpose-built serious games, ESPREssO draws on both CCA and DRR stakeholder experiences and informed perspectives in order to identify current gaps. Set within a fictitious border zone, ESPREssO's RAMSETE II serious game challenges CCA and DRR stakeholders in making coordinated decisions before, during and after a simulated disaster, in protection of population and critical infrastructure.Results highlight the essential role of local governance mechanisms as the sharp end of the policy wedge, with current examples of proactivity that require to be championed and supported at national level in order to thrive. These good practice examples reflect the fact that transboundary settings, despite their challenges, act as fertile ground for mutual growth, offering opportunities for CCA and DRR communities to find innovative ways to cooperate and unite in developing synergies and strengthening their mutual efforts towards resilience. Stakeholders emphasise a need to invest more resources in informal cooperation and call on policy makers to recognise that each border zone raises its own unique set of complex challenges that requires flexibility and special consideration by transboundary authorities in management of disasters.

The Collective Action of Urban Communities in Disaster Risk Reduction: A Case Study in Yogyakarta City

The people of Yogyakarta City who live in the watershed always suffer in the rainy season. The threat of flood disaster, landslides and dengue fever has become a routine that has never been resolved. This article aims to discuss collective actions of urban communities in disaster risk reduction. This study used a case study approach. The author chose the research location in Kampung Gambiran, Yogyakarta City, because it could explain the stages of collective action of urban communities in reducing disaster risk faced each year. The findings showed that the collective actions in Kampung Gambiran could reduce disaster risk. The stages of collective action in Kampung Gambiran start from 1) the first stage: the emergence of disquiet and ideas, 2) the second stage: the formation of an environmental community, and 3) the third stage: achievements. The collective action of the community initiated the city government to create a Program Kampung Hijau, one of which aims to mitigate flood disasters.

Membangun Ketahanan Berbasis Komunitas dalam Mengurangi Risiko Bencana di Desa Pilomonu Kabupaten Gorontalo

BUILDING RESILIENCE BASED COMMUNITIES IN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN THE PILOMONU VILLAGE GORONTALO REGENCY. This article discusses the concept of community-based disaster risk reduction so that it can realize community resilience to disasters. The implementation of community-based disaster resilience programs uses participatory approaches, observation, interviews, socialization, training, and Forum Group Discussion (FGD). The establishment of the PRB and TSBM forums received a positive response from the community because Pilomonu Village was classified as a disaster-prone village, especially landslides and floods. Analysis of the resilience index conducted by the forum based on indicators and achievements found that Pilomonu Village is included in the category of 'village not yet strong' and the level of preparedness is low. Indicators of community disaster resilience that have been established and adjusted in the document can be the main focus of all parties related to disaster risk management. The PRB and TSBM forum are those who have overall access to improving disaster resilience because forum skills in involving stakeholders are a determinant of the success of disaster resilience to lower-level communities. Integration between the Pilomonu Village government program and disaster risk reduction forums can guarantee the sustainability of forum performance.

Advancing global flood hazard simulations by improving comparability, benchmarking, and integration of global flood models

In recent years, a range of global flood models (GFMs) were developed, each utilizing different process descriptions as well as validation data sets and methods. To quantify the magnitude of these differences, studies assessed the performance of GFMs only on the continental and catchment level. Since the default model set-ups resulted in locally marked deviations, there is a clear need for further and especially more standardized research to not only maintain credibility, but also support the application of GFM products by end-users. Consequently, here we conceptually outline the basic requirements and challenges of a Global Flood Model Validation Framework for more standardized model validation and benchmarking. With the proposed framework we hope to encourage the much needed debate, research developments in this direction, and involvement of science with end-users. By means of the framework, it is possible to streamline the data sets used for input and validation as well as the validation approach itself. By subjecting GFMs to more thorough and standardized methods, we think their quality as well as acceptance will increase as a result, especially amongst end-users of their outputs. Otherwise GFMs may only serve a purely scientific purpose of continued ‘siloed’ model improvement but without practical use. Furthermore, we want to invite GFM developers to make their models more integratable which would allow for representation of more physical processes and even more detailed comparison on a model component basis. We think this is pivotal to not only improve the accuracy of model input data sets, but to focus on the core of each model, the process descriptions. Only if we know more about why GFMs deviate, are we able to improve them accordingly and develop a next generation of models, not only providing first-order estimates of flood extent but supporting the global disaster risk reduction community with more accurate and actionable information.

Improving Development Outcomes and Reducing Disaster Risk through Planned Community Relocation

The idea of relocation as a transformative disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and development strategy follows the assumption that relocation reduces the vulnerability of communities. Yet, it is unclear whose and what kind of vulnerability is reduced through relocation, and which factors are important in determining the “success” of relocation efforts as strategies for development, climate change adaptation (CCA), and disaster risk reduction (DRR). Temporary and short distance relocation is highly likely to achieve increased resilience by reducing exposure, but relocation to a new area and new communities brings a range of issues. CCA and DRR use different timescales and focal points regarding relocation: CCA focuses on future mass permanent relocation and the subsequent potential loss of cultures and identities mainly due to projected sea level rise. The DRR community focuses on temporary relocation as a way to reduce exposure to a range of hazards, although it is also involved in permanent movement as a transformative way to reduce risk and enhance development. We explore these differences in this paper, with examples mainly from the Pacific Small Island Developing States where past relocations have been numerous. Better understanding and articulation of the underlying assumptions and preferences in CCA, DRR, and development discourses on planned community relocation could provide a richer context for future planning and dealing with both slow-onset and sudden disasters.

An approach for measuring social vulnerability in context: The case of flood hazards in Muzarabani district, Zimbabwe

Understanding the complexity of vulnerability to disasters, including those triggered by floods, droughts and epidemics is at the heart of disaster risk reduction. Despite its importance in disaster risk reduction, there remains a paucity of approaches that contribute to our understanding of social vulnerability that is hidden in dynamic contextual conditions. The study demonstrates an accessible means to assessing the spatial variation of social vulnerability to flood hazards and related for the context of Muzarabani district in northeast Zimbabwe. The study facilitated local identification with residents of variables contributing to social vulnerability and used the principal component analysis (PCA) technique to develop a social vulnerability index (SoVI). Using ArcMap10.2 geographic information systems (GIS) tool, the study mapped composite SoVI at the ward level. The results showed that Muzarabani district is socially vulnerable to hazards. The social vulnerability is influenced by a variety of economic, social and institutional factors that vary across the wards. Quantifying and visualising social vulnerability in Muzarabani provides useful information for decision makers to support disaster preparedness and mitigation programmes. The approach shows how spatially distributed multivariate vulnerability, as grounded in interpretations at local level, can be quantitatively derived for contexts such as those of Muzarabani. The study findings can inform disaster risk reduction communities and cognate disciplines on quantitative assessments for managing hazard vulnerability where these have hitherto not been developed.

Perspectives on global dynamic exposure modelling for geo-risk assessment

The need for a global approach to natural hazard and risk assessment is becoming increasingly apparent to the disaster risk reduction community. Different natural (e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes) and anthropogenic (e.g. industrial accidents) hazards threaten millions of people every day all over the world. Yet, while hazards can be so different from each other, the exposed assets are mostly the same: populations, buildings, infrastructure and the environment. Exposure should be regarded as a dynamic process, as best exemplified by rapid urbanization, depopulation of rural areas and all of the changes associated with the actual evolution of the settlements themselves. The challenge is thus to find innovative, efficient methods to collect, organize, store and communicate exposure data on a global scale, while also accounting for its inherent spatio-temporal dynamics. The aim of this paper is to assess the challenge of implementing an exposure model at a global scale, suitable for different geo-hazards within a dynamic and scalable framework. In this context, emerging technologies, from remote sensing to crowd-sourcing, are assessed for their usability in exposure modelling and a road map is laid out towards a global exposure model that will continuously evolve over time by the continuous input and updating of data, including the consideration of uncertainties. Such an exposure model would lay the basis for global vulnerability and risk assessments by providing reliable, standardized information on the exposed assets across a range of different hazards.

Towards Risk-Informed Development: Making Use of Geospatial Data in Development Planning in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Despite commendable efforts to promote Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in development planning, current mainstreaming efforts are failing to keep pace with the increase in exposure, vulnerability and climate-related natural hazards. The recently developed inter-agency and multi-sectoral spatial risk assessments for Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) have proven to be effective research and communication tools that have the potential to convince busy policymakers and programme managers to scale up DRR. From the perspective of the UN in Bosnia-Herzegovina, we present geospatial hazard and exposure assessments that have helped to identify and visualize a range of natural hazards and socio-economic factors. In the information age, the internet, publicly available datasets and open source software have created hitherto unknown opportunities to undertake effective disaster risk management. This paper presents action-oriented, geospatial research with high relevance for policy makers and programme managers. We illustrate how the use of “big and open data” has a cost-saving potential for the DRR community.

Preparing for the future: mitigating disasters and building resilience in the cultural heritage sector

In the last 10 years there have been significant developments in research, national legislation, standards and guidance, and international frameworks, relating to resilience and disaster risk reduction, which have impacted on the care of cultural heritage. This article outlines the key developments, including the recently agreed UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, and looks to the future, to further integration of the conservation profession into wider emergency planning networks to ensure greater resilience, responding to the call for closer collaboration and better integration of communities in disaster risk reduction.

EU and international policies for hydrometeorological risks: Operational aspects and link to climate action

Changes in hydrometeorological characteristics and risks have been observed and are projected to increase under climate change. These considerations are scientifically well studied and led to the development of a complex policy framework for adaptation and mitigation for hydrometeorological risks. Awareness for policy actions is growing worldwide but no legal framework is in place to tackle climate change impacts on water at a global scale. With the example of international frameworks and the legislation on EU-level, this article elaborates that hydrometeorological risks are not considered in the framework of one single policy. However, various policy instruments are directly or indirectly considering these risks at different operational levels. It is discussed that a tailor-made framework for hydrometeorological risks would improve coordination at international or national level. A major drawback for a single operational framework is that hydrometeorological risks are scientifically tackled in two large communities: the disaster risk reduction community and the climate change adaptation community, both of which are bound to different research and operational funding budgets. In future, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation will need been seen as a complementary set of actions that requires collaboration.

Climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessments

The fourth Assessment Report of the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed the warmingof the climate system. The report also highlighted thevarious impacts that social, economic and ecological sys-tems are currently facing and will have to anticipate in thecoming decades and centuries, including changed fre-quency and magnitude of extreme weather as well as sealevel rise (IPCC 2007a). Given the inertia generated by thevarious chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere,and the difficult political negotiations related to mitigationand adaptation as exemplified by the limited outcomes ofCOP15 in Copenhagen in December 2009, there is anurgent need for assessing our vulnerabilities linked to theeffects of climate change and to start adapting to its fore-seeable consequences.In the past few decades, much research has been devotedto vulnerability assessment in the context of both disasterrisk reduction (DRR) and climate change. Despite the factthat the DRR and climate change adaptation (CCA) com-munities both address the negative impacts of hazards onsociety, they have worked mostly independently from eachother and have given different definitions and conceptu-alisations to vulnerability, risk and adaptation. For examplethe definition of vulnerability by the DRR community

Reducing hazard vulnerability: towards a common approach between disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation

Over the past few decades, four distinct and largely independent research and policy communities--disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, environmental management and poverty reduction--have been actively engaged in reducing socio-economic vulnerability to natural hazards. However, despite the significant efforts of these communities, the vulnerability of many individuals and communities to natural hazards continues to increase considerably. In particular, it is hydro-meteorological hazards that affect an increasing number of people and cause increasingly large economic losses. Arising from the realisation that these four communities have been largely working in isolation and enjoyed only limited success in reducing vulnerability, there is an emerging perceived need to strengthen significantly collaboration and to facilitate learning and information exchange between them. This article examines key communalities and differences between the climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction communities, and proposes three exercises that would help to structure a multi-community dialogue and learning process.