Current Disaster Risk Reduction Research Articles

DRR Interview with Terry Cannon: disaster studies: why is class being ignored?

PurposeThe transcript is of one from a number of interviews with disaster risk reduction (DRR) “pioneers” carried out in 2022 as a part of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) project to record the history of the field. It aims to enable one of the “pioneers” to explain his role in the emergence of disaster studies and provide critical commentary on what he considers is wrong with current DRR approaches.Design/methodology/approachTerry Cannon was interviewed to explain the beginnings of his involvement in disasters research and to comment on his views on progress in the field of disaster risk reduction since his early work in the 1980s. The transcript and video were developed in the context of the UNDRR project on the history of DRR.FindingsThe interview provides an account of the origins of the book “At Risk” and why it was considered necessary. This is put into the context of how the field of DRR has emerged since the 1980s. It elicits opinions on what he considers the gaps in both his early work (especially in the book “At Risk” of which he was a co-author) and in the field of DRR recently.Originality/valueIt provides historical context on how early disaster research developed the alternative framework of “social construction” of disasters, in opposition to the idea that they are “natural”. It challenges some of the approaches that have emerged as DRR and has been institutionalised, including its increasing difficulty in supporting the ideas of social construction.

Disaster risk reduction in Bangladesh: A comparison of three major floods for assessing progress towards resilience

The modern disaster management approach is based on the disaster management cycle comprising four distinct components: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, and focuses on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and resilience. As a disaster-prone country, Bangladesh needed to evolve its policies to develop a strong disaster management system that builds resilience at the community level and ensures overall DRR. Frequent floods and policy failures drove changes, so analysis is needed to see if the policy shifts are productive and results-oriented. This study shows Bangladesh’s shift to DRR by comparing human casualties and infrastructure/financial damage in the 1988, 2004, and 2022 floods. It analyzes Bangladesh’s DRR efficiency over 34 years and the three major floods. Furthermore, it highlights the flood impacts to identify gaps and areas for improvement in building resilience. The study reveals that the current DRR approach in Bangladesh is adequate and well aligned with the vision of “Winning resilience together against all odds.” The significant transition from a predominantly relief and recovery approach to an integrated, “people-centered” flood management strategy made the disaster management framework robust and capable of handling future disasters which is the prerequisite to reducing the risk, vulnerability and impact of disasters. Areas of improvement include coordinated efforts between government and non-government organizations and agencies, empowerment of local authorities, community-based capacity building, and strict monitoring and accountability of mismanagements, among others. Bangladesh has well-designed DRR strategies and plans in place. It must invest in DRR and implement a “Whole-of-Society” approach to build a resilient, sustainable nation.

Driving Sustainable Disaster Risk Reduction: A Rapid Review of the Policies and Strategies in Saudi Arabia

This article presents a comprehensive rapid review of the current disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts in Saudi Arabia, a country exposed to a variety of hazards such as extreme heat, droughts, floods, dust, and sandstorms, along with threats from terrorism and violence. Employing a rapid review approach, our aim was to provide timely insights into DRR strategies, with an emphasis on the unique geographical and socio-political context of Saudi Arabia. This study serves as a valuable reference for similar hazard-prone regions worldwide. Our review encompasses Saudi Arabia’s progress in key areas, such as improving building codes and infrastructure, developing early warning systems, raising public awareness, and strengthening emergency response capabilities. While Saudi Arabia has made commendable strides in implementing international best practices for DRR, our review also identified specific areas where further development and enhancement are needed. These include the need for more sophisticated early warning systems, expanded public awareness campaigns, and continual enhancements in emergency response capabilities. This review offers key insights into the challenges and opportunities within Saudi Arabia’s DRR efforts, highlighting the steps that Saudi Arabia has taken towards resilience. Drawing from specific examples of past disasters, our findings shed light on practical considerations for improving disaster risk management, with the potential to inform policy, enhance public awareness, and contribute to building a safer and more resilient future in Saudi Arabia.

Three decades of disaster risk reduction education: A bibliometric study

It has been more than three decades of disaster risk reduction education in the United Nations; however, no study has been conducted to explore its current intellectual landscape. That being so, the present study aimed to determine the existing research trends and gaps in disaster risk reduction education, including opportunities and challenges. The paper reports bibliometric research on disaster risk reduction education using publications extracted from the Scopus database. With 452 publications so far (as of writing), results revealed that although the trends in the number of publications per year are generally increasing, there is a considerably limited number of scholars, institutions, and countries that are involved in disaster risk reduction education research; not to mention its limited diversity. This may be because disaster risk reduction is an emerging field. Nevertheless, it may be necessary to invest in building the capacity and encouraging more scholars and institutions to conduct research along with various aspects/phases of disaster risk reduction, involving different stakeholders and vulnerable groups of people, using a variety of research designs in needs assessment and evaluation studies, as well as the assessment on the effectiveness of related strategies. The study contributes to the discourse on disaster risk reduction, specifically disaster risk reduction education. It attempted to establish the current disaster risk reduction education research landscape that led to determining existing trends and gaps. Consequently, findings informed the reflection on opportunities and challenges in disaster risk reduction education research.

Investigating Public Perceptions Concerning the Acceptability and Effectiveness of Nudges for Disaster Risk Reduction Efforts in Japan

In Japan, local governments have attempted to prepare citizens for and protect them from potential natural disasters by organizing activities such as evacuation drills and enacting rules and regulations such as building standards. A complementary approach to disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts is to use “nudges.” In this paper, we investigate nudges as a means to improve current DRR efforts. Through a survey, we analyze the views of Japanese people regarding the acceptability of nudges and their effectiveness in influencing people’s behavior. We conclude that the most favorable nudges in terms of effectiveness and acceptability are those used in an emergency scenario (when a disaster is imminent) that also convey useful information.

Towards sustainable cities and communities: Is psychological preparedness include in the disaster risk reduction policy framework in Indonesia

Indonesia geographical location that surrounded by Australia plate, Pacific plate, and Eurasia plate has made the country exposed to disasters. Natural hazard that often happen in Indonesia are flood, volcanic eruption, earthquake, landslide, land fire, cyclone, extreme wave. The impact of disaster was devastating economically, socially and psychologically for affected community as well for the whole nation. Indonesia National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has noted that average losses caused by disaster is 30 trillion rupiah per year. Studies found that preparing individual to face disaster could help to reduce the impact of the disaster. However, the effort is still not enough and yet Indonesia is still suffering a great loss due to disasters. The disaster preparedness program that was available was mostly focused in technically prepare people and neglect the importance of psychologically prepare people to face disaster. The purpose of the study is to analyse current disaster risk reduction policy framework in Indonesia, examine whether the current policy framework has address and includes psychological preparedness for disaster and propose a solution for designing appropriate policy to reduce psychological impact of disaster.

Emergency Preparedness in Health Institutions in Nigeria: Current Situation and Framework for Action

Nigeria has faced an increasing number of disasters over the last decade including the outbreaks of infectious diseases, air pollution, natural disasters, communal and ethno-religious crises, and acts of terrorism. While Nigeria’s National Health Policy identifies public health emergency preparedness and response as a major policy thrust, with the goal of reducing the burden of public health emergencies, the 2019 Global Health Security Index shows that Nigeria, with a score of 12.5 out of 100, ranks very low in emergency preparedness and response planning. With the projection that Nigeria will likely experience more disasters in the future, it is important to review her current disaster risk reduction framework with particular reference to the health sector and make suggestions for improving response. The current National Disaster Management Framework provides for a comprehensive multisectoral response and incorporates the health ministry/department at all levels of disaster response; however, it does not appear that the framework is well known or utilized by stakeholders. Furthermore, no specific attention is given to the threat of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and the associated public health emergencies. Although, the establishment of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has assisted with addressing some of the gaps in this respect, the response at the sub-national level is still sub-optimal as evidenced by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disaster preparedness and response planning is particularly lacking at healthcare facilities and this article provides a practical guide that will assist stakeholders in the design of an organizational disaster preparedness plan.

Promote collaborative governance? Review of disaster risk reduction strategy in Jakarta

Increasing climate change problems affect disaster risks that will be fundamental threats to sustainable development. Climate change has driven global warming results in repeated severe flooding across Greater Jakarta and its surrounding cities. Central, provincial, and local government regulations reflect the public sectors’ effort in disaster risk reduction. This study aims to analyze the current disaster risk reduction strategies and investigate the collaborative perspective on floods that affected the local government. This research utilizes a post-positivism approach and collects data through in-depth interviews, online media content analysis, and literature studies. The study found that the central and local governments have policies that are in place to reduce the risk of floods. The government already implemented structural and nonstructural disaster risk reduction. The result implies that various government levels already establish policies to increase collaborative perspectives among government institutions. However, it is essential to create an integrated framework to facilitate a more collaborative process in managing floods in Jakarta.

Societal dimension of disaster risk reduction. Conceptual framework

Current disaster risk reduction approach does not reflect the societal dimension of factors that shape risk and safety. The research objective is to elaborate a model of DRR in its societal dimension, respecting not only an engineering component of disaster risk, but also how people perceive it. The methodology bases on literature review and a deductive investigation for ideas and assumptions verification. As a first result, safety structure was presented. At the highest level of generality, it consists in real safety and safety sense. The second one is a derivative of four components: sense of being informed, sense of perpetration, sense of confidence and sense of anchoring. In analogy to safety, risk could be characterized by an engineering component and risk perception. Perception is structured with direct connection to safety sense. Morphological connection of risk structure, disaster risk reduction structure and two signs of risk (positives and negatives) allows to elaborate the model, which could prove to be a valuable tool in theory and practice of the reduction.

A feminist vision for transformative change to disaster risk reduction policies and practices

Gender has received increased attention in disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies and practices over the past three decades. However, a critical analysis raises a number of questions: has the attention to gender brought transformative change to the lives of people, especially women and sexual minorities in all their diversity? To what extent has the inclusion of a gender perspective in DRR challenged the root causes of vulnerability and marginalization? Do the current gender sensitive DRR policies and practices have transformative potential? In this paper, we explore some of these questions with particular reference to the recent Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Act 2017 and current DRR practices in Nepal in which gender has been included. We present findings from three research projects, undertaken between 2016 and 2019 in six locations in Nepal. These comprised 105 individual interviews, 11 group interviews and 3 focus group discussions (FGDs) with internally displaced women; pregnant and newly delivered women; health and community workers; policy makers, political leaders and organisations working on DRR. We argue that, despite increased attention to gender, current DRR policies and practices do little to challenge existing, unequal social and institutional structures; instead, they accommodate the gender status quo. We suggest that in order for transformative social change to occur, we require a transformative vision; one that allows us to see the biases and problems within the current DRR policies and practices and allows us to imagine our future differently. A feminist vision offers that possibility.

Today in Thailand: multidisciplinary perspectives on the current tsunami disaster risk reduction

AbstractThailand is one of the many countries in Asia that fell victim to the monstrous 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. To date, there has been tons of effort to reduce disaster risk in Thailand. Nevertheless, there is still a considerable margin for improvement. This paper aims to review previous efforts and measures that have been taken to reduce Thailand's risk to disasters, and highlight possible areas for improvement. We use the disaster risk management as a thought-framework for our review, where we discuss Thailand's current disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures from a multi-perspective: the tsunami numerical simulation, tsunami warning system, tsunami evacuation sign, manuals and guidelines, evacuation shelters, housing recovery, hotel business and recovery, public awareness and media, and disaster education. In understanding the current state of disaster risk efforts, we will then highlight potential areas for improvement.

Under the Volcano: Mount Mayon and Co-Volcanic Societies in the Philippines

Rich volcanic soils have long attracted human settlements, which have traded the risk of eruption against the benefits of higher agricultural yields. Yet little research has been done on how societies have normalised the risks and adapted to living in proximity to volcanoes, or how those modifications, in turn, might have influenced the effects of eruptions and their consequent hazards. In short, people have co-evolved with volcanoes to create 'co-volcanic societies'. By looking closely at the Philippines and focusing on one region of southern Luzon around Mount Mayon, this article addresses the question of how people and the volcano have 'co-adapted' to living in proximity to one another over time. It also suggests that to make societies more resilient to volcanic hazards, a better understanding of this relationship is required not only to improve current disaster risk reduction policies but even to inform everyday urban planning and civil engineering decisions.

Challenges in Implementing Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Poland

Currently, weather conditions and extreme weather are becoming more frequent and more intense. Along with climate change, the vulnerability of society and individual regions to the risk of various types of threats also increases. The objectives of “The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030”, are the first global political frameworks of the United Nations program designed for the period post-2015. The original priority objectives of the Framework are: Understanding disaster risk, strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk, investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. The provisions contained in the document are an essential step towards building global political coherence with an apparent reference to health, development, and climate change. The article is briefly reporting current Disaster Risk Reduction related programs and policies in Poland, contributions as part of The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction implementation, and its challenges.

Taking stock of decentralized disaster risk reduction in Indonesia

Abstract. The Sendai Framework, which outlines the global course on disaster risk reduction until 2030, places strong importance on the role of local government in disaster risk reduction. An aim of decentralization is to increase the influence and authority of local government in decision making. Yet, there is limited empirical evidence of the extent, character and effects of decentralization in current disaster risk reduction implementation, and of the barriers that are most critical to this. This paper evaluates decentralization in relation to disaster risk reduction in Indonesia, chosen for its recent actions to decentralize governance of DRR coupled with a high level of disaster risk. An analytical framework was developed to evaluate the various dimensions of decentralized disaster risk reduction, which necessitated the use of a desk study, semi-structured interviews and a gap analysis. Key barriers to implementation in Indonesia included: capacity gaps at lower institutional levels, low compliance with legislation, disconnected policies, issues in communication and coordination and inadequate resourcing. However, any of these barriers are not unique to disaster risk reduction, and similar barriers have been observed for decentralization in other developing countries in other public sectors.

Education for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR): Linking Theory with Practice in Ghana’s Basic Schools

Current understanding of disaster risk reduction (DRR) concurs that, when provided the right education, children have the potential to reduce their own vulnerability and the vulnerability of others in their community. What, then, comprises the right education for DRR? Research has established the need for disaster education to address the causes and effects, prevention and response, and management and recovery from disaster events. The educational process must include diverse and practical techniques that reinforce disaster knowledge and builds a culture of safety and resilience amongst students. Drawing on syllabus content analysis and field research in two rural communities in semi-arid Northern Ghana, this study explored the presence and nature of DRR within the syllabi of the basic school system. By comparing the result of the content analysis with results from interviews and questionnaires completed by teachers and students, significant gaps were identified between the disaster pedagogy outlined in the syllabi (theory) and that which occurs in the classroom (practice). It was realized that while the theory outlines active and innovative techniques for teaching, learning, and evaluating DRR lessons, various challenges hinder the practical application of these techniques in the classroom. The study concludes that a lack of teacher training and professional development, and inadequate teaching and learning materials, generally account for these results. A new and consolidated effort is required from all stakeholders to train teachers and to provide the appropriate learning materials to improve on the current DRR education.

Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Disaster Risk Reduction in Urban Contexts: Perceptions and Practice

This paper analyses the perceptions of disaster risk reduction (DRR) practitioners concerning the on-going integration of climate change adaptation (CCA) into their practices in urban contexts in Nicaragua. Understanding their perceptions is important as this will provide information on how this integration can be improved. Exploring the perceptions of practitioners in Nicaragua is important as the country has a long history of disasters, and practitioners have been developing the current DRR planning framework for more than a decade. The analysis is based on semi-structured interviews designed to collect information about practitioners’ understanding of: (a) CCA, (b) the current level of integration of CCA into DRR and urban planning, (c) the opportunities and constraints of this integration, and (d) the potential to adapt cities to climate change. The results revealed that practitioners’ perception is that the integration of CCA into their practice is at an early stage, and that they need to improve their understanding of CCA in terms of a development issue. Three main constraints on improved integration were identified: (a) a recognized lack of understanding of CCA, (b) insufficient guidance on how to integrate it, and (c) the limited opportunities to integrate it into urban planning due to a lack of instruments and capacity in this field. Three opportunities were also identified: (a) practitioners’ awareness of the need to integrate CCA into their practices, (b) the robust structure of the DRR planning framework in the country, which provides a suitable channel for facilitating integration, and (c) the fact that CCA is receiving more attention and financial and technical support from the international community.

A rights-based analysis of disaster risk reduction framework in Zimbabwe and its implications for policy and practice

This paper examines closely the institutional arrangements for disaster risk reduction from a rights-based perspective. In Zimbabwe, the disaster risk reduction framework and the ensuing practice have not yet accommodated some of the most vulnerable and excluded groups, especially the terminally ill, people with disabilities and the very poor. Top-down approaches to disaster management have largely been blamed for lack of resilience and poor preparedness on the part of sections of society that are hard hit by disasters. Often, disaster risk reduction has also been modeled along the needs and priorities of able-bodied people, whilst largely excluding those with various forms of impairments. Against this background, this paper is based on field research on people’s disaster risk experiences in four districts of Zimbabwe, with a special emphasis on the disaster risk reduction framework. It provides a critical analysis of the disaster risk reduction framework in Zimbabwe, focusing on the various forms of disadvantages to different categories of people that the current framework has tended to generate. The paper thus examines the current disaster risk reduction framework as largely informed by the Civil Protection Act and the Disaster Risk Management Policy Draft as revised in 2011. Crucial at this stage is the need to interrogate the disaster risk reduction framework, right from formulation processes with regard to participation and stakeholders, particularly the grassroots people who bear the greatest brunt of vulnerability, shocks, stresses and trends. In conclusion, the paper stresses the potential benefits of adopting an inclusive, rights-based thrust to disaster risk reduction in Zimbabwe.