Disaster-affected People Research Articles

Assessing progress in reducing the number of disaster-affected people: insights from Zimbabwe

Assessing progress in reducing the number of disaster-affected people: insights from Zimbabwe

Study on the evaluation of the effectiveness of centralized post-disaster housing reconstruction in rural areas of Dujiangyan city after the Wenchuan earthquake

Abstract The Wenchuan earthquake caused severe damage to rural areas in Dujiangyan. Determining the reconstruction plan for farmers’ housing and unifying reconstruction opinions, while ensuring the rational distribution of resources, became a key focus for the government. As post-disaster reconstruction planning progressed and neared completion, comparative and innovative studies on rural land systems before and after the earthquake, as well as patterns of farmers’ housing reconstruction, became important research topics. Traditional studies lack empirical assessments of rural housing reconstruction models from a micro perspective. This paper analyzes and compares the resettlement effects of three typical housing reconstruction models in rural Dujiangyan, aiming to supplement empirical assessments of post-disaster rural reconstruction effectiveness. It reflects the impacts and effects of different reconstruction models selected through collective resolutions in typical towns of Dujiangyan, considering aspects such as development intensity, resettlement efficiency, economic income, and living environment. This analysis helps understand the differences that various reconstruction methods may bring to communities, aiming to summarize past experiences, optimize reconstruction planning and management, and enhance the satisfaction and well-being of disaster-affected people in rural housing reconstruction.

Climate change-induced hazard risks and migration in Bangladesh: A case study

This study explored the effect of climate related hazard-induced risks on migration using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data were collected by conducting a field survey in Cumilla City Corporation, eastern Bangladesh, with 100 respondents using simple random and purposive sampling techniques. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using an integrated thematic analysis method directed by numerical and non-numerical coding. The findings revealed that climate-related incidents in Bangladesh forced people to move from vulnerable to less vulnerable areas. People who have been hurt by disasters often decided early on to move away in search of a better life. Although many disaster-affected people had the minimum opportunity to stay in the same places, they migrated to avoid future risks and search for a secure life. Migrants faced many socio-economic and environmental challenges in their new settlements. The raising awareness and policy strategies regarding environmental pollution and climate adaptation are urgently needed to reduce the hazard risks and vulnerability of the communities.

Assessing Progress in Reducing the Number of Disaster-affected People: Insights from Zimbabwe

In 2015, 187 countries appended their signatures to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. This framework has seven global targets which need to be monitored both at national and global levels. In order to promote the monitoring and reporting on progress in attaining the global targets, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction provided some technical guidance notes and methodologies. Using the case study of Zimbabwe, this study used the technical guidance notes and methodologies to assess the country’s progress in reducing the number of people affected by disasters. Quantitative data for this assessment came from public sources published by the Government of Zimbabwe spanning the period 1990 to 2019. This data was analysed using 3-year and 5-year moving averages. In addition, the study used qualitative interviews to explain the trends in the number of people affected by disasters. Results showed slight decreases in the number of people affected by both aggregated and disaggregated disasters. Drought disasters emerged as the only one that affected millions of people yearly. However, storms and epidemics were sporadic and characterised by big spikes. The study concluded that Zimbabwe is slowly attaining Target B. The study further offered three policy implications that are meant to significantly reduce the number of people affected by disasters. This includes the need to strengthen drought preparedness/mitigation, and disease surveillance and control systems.

Comparative analysis of the performance of humanitarian logistic structures using agent-based simulation

The post-disaster humanitarian logistic structure (PD-HL) used in a disaster determines the performance of the relief distribution, which impacts human suffering and loss of lives. This paper develops an Agent-Based simulation model to explore the performance of three different PD-HL structures: Agency Centric Efforts (ACEs), Partially Integrated Efforts (PIEs), and Collaborative Aid Networks (CANs). Using the proposed simulation framework, the authors analyze the role of information sharing and crowd movement in the distribution of relief supplies, and evaluate the ability of different PD-HL structures to respond to disasters of varying intensities. The performance of each PD-HL structure is measured using the social costs, i.e., the sum of logistic costs incurred by the relief organizations carrying out logistical activities, and the deprivation costs and walking costs of affected people. The study also discusses the humanitarian operations during the 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake to demonstrate the real-world application of the simulation framework. The results suggest that sharing information can reduce the deprivation costs in general. However, as the level of information sharing increases, its marginal effect on deprivation costs decreases. Setting up temporary shelters to limit the movement of affected people can help reduce uncertainty in demands, thereby facilitating the distribution of relief supplies. The distribution capacity is the primary factor affecting the performance of the three PD-HL structures. The results indicate that CANs are particularly effective in responding to catastrophic disasters due to their high distribution capacity. However, ACEs and PIEs can also perform well in situations where their distribution capacities are adequate to ensure that available supplies reach the affected population. In addition, the waiting time of disaster-affected people at the points of distribution (PODs) significantly affects the distribution of relief supplies, while walking speed has no significant impact on the distribution of relief supplies.

Ethical research practice in health and disasters

Research on health and disasters within the social sciences and public health is produced from a wide range of methodological and disciplinary perspectives. Major disaster events continue to highlight the need for health and disaster researchers to further reflect on the procedural and practical aspects of research ethics. We conduct a scoping review and qualitative frame analysis of 76 empirical articles from 2000 onwards, with the aim of uncovering the dominant framings of ‘ethical practice’ within health and disaster literature. The review demonstrates that the literature presents competing framings of risk – namely, a more individualist and biomedical understanding of trauma, and a focus on community-level and contextual aspects of risk, respectively. These competing frames of risk determine how different parts of the field negotiate ethical processes and practices. Additional points of tension are found in the way in which disaster-affected people and places are characterised as (or as not) particularly vulnerable, and the role of formal ethical review committees. This review synthesises proposed solutions from literature to improve both procedural and practical ethics and finds there are continued disagreements surrounding even the most frequently called-for changes. The contrasting framings of ethics problems and solutions within this field indicate the need for consensus around the practical ethics of health and disaster research. Further reflection is warranted for more coherent engagement between this research field and disaster-affected communities.

‘We are not in the same boat’: Representations of disaster and recovery in India

‘Representations’ of recovery refer to the creation, circulation, reinforcement and subversion of ideas about what should be done in the months and years after a hazard has struck. The research reported in this paper outlines how contrasting and, in some cases, openly contested narratives can emerge in society around the nature and causes of the event, the impacts and needs of the affected population, and the priorities and effectiveness of recovery processes. We worked in three states in India – Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Kerala – collecting and collating a range of information on ideas, experiences and debates about disaster recovery from people in disaster-affected communities, from governmental and non-governmental organisations, from reports in the media, from academic studies and from official documentation. These related to major hazard events over the last two decades as well as recent events that hit the states prior to or during the course of the research.Though there is much variation between disaster cases in the pattern of representations by different actors, there are some discernible elements that do tend to work together to generate an effect on outcomes, often in ways that not only side-line livelihood and wellbeing priorities of disaster-affected people but also sometimes downplay or even negate the needs and rights of specific social groups. Managing disaster recovery is a hugely challenging task. However, it is not well served if the ways in which impacts and recovery needs are articulated lead to the effective exclusion of certain sectors, social groups, needs and concerns from full consideration, or to the blocking of alternative perspectives such as proactive approaches to future risk reduction. Key in this, we maintain, is the need to shift representations of recovery to better match the needs and voices of those most affected.

Use of the HESPER Web to Assess Perceived Needs Immediately After Multiple Disaster Events in Fiji.

In January 2022, Fiji was hit by multiple natural disasters, including a cyclone causing flooding, an underwater volcanic eruption, and a tsunami. This study aimed to investigate perceived needs among the disaster-affected people in Fiji and to evaluate the feasibility of the Humanitarian Emergency Settings Perceived Needs Scale (HESPER Web) during the early stage after multiple natural disasters. A cross-sectional study using a self-selected, non-representative study sample was conducted. The HESPER Web was used to collect data. In all, 242 people participated. The number of perceived serious needs ranged between 2 and 14 (out of a possible 26), with a mean of 6 (SD = 3). The top 3 most reported needs were access to toilets (60%), care for people in the community who are on their own (55%), and distress (51%). Volunteers reported fewer needs than the general public. The top 3 needs reported were related to water and sanitation and psychosocial needs. Such needs should not be underestimated in the emergency phase after natural disasters and may require more attention from responding actors. The HESPER Web was considered a usable tool for needs assessment in a sudden onset disaster.

Effects of Landslide on the Livelihood of People at Ghumthang, Sindhupalchok

Landslides are considered as one of the most recurring and common disaster in Nepal. They cause huge loss to infrastructure, property and human casualty. The intensity of landslides in Nepal’s mid hills are rising as one of the most common and devastating disasters. The 2020 Ghumthang landslide in Nepal’s Sindhupalchok District destroyed the houses, lands and infrastructures and impacted livelihoods of the people living in the area. Every monsoon landslides in hilly region of the country lead to impact on the livelihood of the people and this aspect has not been analyzed in depth. The disaster-affected people face the destruction crop, livestock, and land. They also face damages of house, drinking water and other infrastructure,. In addition they face non-economic effects like health and mental stress. This article based on a household survey combines quantitative and qualitative data from 50 respondents. Questionnaire, interviews and focus group discussions were held during field survey to solicit their persctives Secondary sources were consulted and lived experience used to triangulate the survey findings for accuracy. This study reveals multidimensional nature of the impact of landslide on the life of people who live in the affected area.

Intelligent evacuation model in disaster mitigation

Mitigation is a pre-disaster action that aims to prepare for a disaster situation. One of the mitigation activities is evacuation, which aims to reduce disaster-related losses. Because disaster damage cannot be predicted, dealing with evacuation efforts requires a dynamic model. This study will utilize a dynamic model that combines the game theory model for choosing the evacuation location and the open vehicle routing problem (OVRP) model for selecting evacuation routes to create an intelligent system. The game theory model will be used to supplement the selection of alternate evacuation locations by taking into account geographical features that are very uncertain in the event of a crisis. An evacuation route equipped with an OVRP model with the goal of optimizing travel time is required to mobilize disaster-affected people. With the development of the Intelligent Evacuation System idea, combining the two models will create a new model. The simulation model is evaluated using linear, interactive, and discrete optimizer (LINDO), which may minimize the evacuation time from the evacuation route to a safe destination by 50 minutes if there is no contra-flow to allow more people to be evacuated.

Incremental Pathways of Post-Disaster Housing Self-Recovery in Villa Verde, Chile

Housing reconstruction is considered the backbone of disaster recovery. The increasing losses in housing due to disasters challenge conventional top-down schemes and call for people-centred approaches to acknowledge their agency and self-recovery resources. This paper examines the pathways for housing self-recovery through resident-controlled incremental housing development. This paper focuses on the Villa Verde settlement built in the Chilean city of Constitución, which was severely impacted by the 2010 Chile Earthquake. Villa Verde, designed by the Chilean architecture studio Elemental, is one of the most notable incremental housing projects worldwide that encourage residents to extend their houses within a provided structural framework. This research aims to provide clarity in the much-needed understanding of disaster-affected people’s agency to self-recover, noted by researchers as one of the crucial elements for improving the humanitarian response in the aftermath of disasters. Through capturing the evolution of incremental housing construction, this paper presents multiple complexities resulting from the variety of households’ characteristics and needs in their process of post-disaster housing self-recovery. The resident-controlled process studied evidence that the people’s capacities and dedication to self-recover challenged the established housing framework with extensions beyond the designers’ parameters requiring further evaluation of the long-term implications of self-help constructions.

Establishing best practice for the implementation of evacuation centres for vulnerable populations: A comparative analysis of the Australian and Japanese experience

BackgroundDisaster evacuation centres are often the first place for disaster-affected people to stay after a disaster as a form of temporary housing. Recent major disasters in Australia and Japan have raised issues regarding access to evacuation centres by vulnerable populations. ObjectivesThis paper reports a comparative analysis of the Australian and Japanese experience. This study aimed to identify the challenges for stakeholders in disaster health emergency management, in relation to establishing and managing evacuation centres for vulnerable populations, as well as possible solutions to address these challenges. MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants from both countries. Interview data were analysed thematically using the NVivo software. ResultsSix themes were extracted: Low awareness of the need to protect vulnerable people, ensuring adequate staffing with suitable emergency workers, responding to cultural considerations, increasing awareness of the needs of vulnerable people in communities, ensuring effective coordination within centres, and improving preparedness for cultural diversity. ConclusionsBoth countries experienced similar challenges, such as a shortage of relief staff and difficulty establishing effective coordination roles. Coordination and preparedness required a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities as well as communication between local governments and stakeholders in communities during the non-disaster period.

Resilience Unfiltered

In the context of disasters, the term ‘resilience’ is viewed by some humanitarians as overused, underdefined and difficult to operationalise. Moreover, much of this process has been expert- and humanitarian-led, leaving out the understanding of resilience at the local level, among disaster-affected people and in local languages. And when local input from disaster-affected households is included, their understanding of resilience is often filtered through expert and professional opinions. Looking at the case study of resilience-oriented interventions in Tacloban City, Philippines, after Typhoon Haiyan, this study examines local conceptions of resilience by disaster-affected households. Designed and led by local researchers who were also Haiyan survivors, we conducted in-depth interviews with 31 Haiyan survivors in a typhoon-affected community. Results reveal that disaster-affected people have drastically different conceptions of resilience than those promoted by institutions, such as family’s well-being, intactness of the family members after the disaster, durability and having faith in God. Food, financial capacity and psychosocial status significantly influence people’s contextualised meanings of resilience. Access to social and material resources from a household’s social capital networks was also found to be an important factor to understanding resilience.

Creating an institutional ecosystem for cash transfer programmes in post-disaster settings: A case from Indonesia.

Humanitarian and disaster management actors have increasingly adopted cash transfer as an approach to reduce the suffering and vulnerability of the survivors. Cash transfers have also been used as a key instrument in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This article uses an exploratory research strategy to understand how non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governments implement humanitarian cash transfer in a post-disaster setting. This article asks: what are the institutional constraints and opportunities faced by humanitarian emergency responders in ensuring an effective humanitarian cash transfer, and how do humanitarian actors address such institutional constraints? In this article, we have introduced a new conceptual framework, namely the humanitarian and disaster management ecosystem for cash transfer. This framework allows non-governmental actors to restore complex relations amongst state, disaster survivors (citizen), local market economy and civil society. Mixed methods and multistage research strategies were used to collect and analyse primary and secondary data. The authors conclude that by implementing cash transfers in the context of post-tsunamigenic earthquakes and liquefaction hazards, NGOs must co-create an ecosystem of response that aims to restore disaster-affected people’s access to cash and basic needs. However, in order to ensure such access to basic needs, the responders must first restore relations between the states and their citizens before linking the at-risk communities with the private sectors to jump-start local livelihoods and market economy.

Men’s role in violence against women in disasters: studies in Iran and Australia

Sexual violence is largely absent from studies on violence against women in disasters. The role of men in perpetrating violence against women is overlooked or excused and women are usually blamed in both countries. A review of 2 studies of men’s violence against women after floods and earthquakes in Iran and bushfires in Australia show remarkable similarities. Although cultural contexts and the way gender inequality is established and demonstrated are different, these studies reveal unexpected parallels. The context of disaster lays it bare. Participants of both studies were disaster-affected people in Iran and Australia who revealed the taboos that prevent women speaking of violence that is exacerbated in a disaster context. Men play important roles in preventing and responding to violence against women as the result of their responsibilities and positions at the household and community levels. The objective of this paper was to compare the findings from these studies and consider the difficulties faced in conducting studies related to the roles of men and women roles during and after disaster events.

Typology of Learning Contents in “Supplementary Textbook for Disaster Prevention Education” – What Are Teachers in the Areas Affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, and the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Striving to Teach Students in Junior High School? –

A supplementary textbook for disaster prevention education was analyzed for understanding the content educators wish to include in disaster prevention curriculums. The text was a condensed textbook – edited by schoolteachers and boards of education in the local governments – from wide areas with a population of one million who were severely affected by the damage and deaths caused by the Great Hanshin-Awaji and the Great East Japan Earthquakes. The targets for analysis were supplementary textbooks for students in junior high schools, published by the five boards of education in Miyagi, Sendai, Iwate, Hyogo, and Kobe. 147 subjects of five supplementary textbooks for disaster prevention education were evaluated as to their applicability to 46 evaluation items. The average of the evaluation items was 11.59 (SD = 2.92). Numerous “Records” (111 subjects, 75.5%) and “Images” (109 subjects, 74.1%), resulted from each evaluation. A remarkable majority of disaster types included “Earthquake disasters” (108 subjects, 73.5%) and “Tsunami disasters” (85 subjects, 57.8%). “Related Fields,” “Social studies” (30 subjects, 20.4%), and “Science” (29 subjects, 19.7%) were the most common subjects. In “Related Fields,” “Special activities” included the highest subjects (59 subjects, 40.1%), after “Ethics,” which included 56 subjects (38.1%). “Writer and persons involved” and “Student who writes compositions and is involved as a learner” included 72 subjects (49.0%). Subsequently, there were “Local residents,” (52 subjects, 35.4%), “Researchers and experts” (36 subjects, 24.5%), and “Unaffected persons” (35 subjects, 23.8%), which included volunteers. Regarding “Type of disaster prevention education,” learning activities for “Prepare for disasters” included the most subjects at 92 (62.6%). Subsequently, learning activities to “Enrich the mind (love for family and community, compassion, the importance of life,)” by raising students’ included 60 subjects (40.8%). Regarding “Qualities and abilities expected to be acquired,” “Knowledge” showed the highest 91 subjects (61.9%). Next was “Self-awareness” (64 subjects, 43.5%), “Social participation/community contribution” (48 subjects, 32.7%), and “Kindness to disaster-affected people” (47 subjects, 32.0%). Moreover, cluster analysis (ward method) was performed using a data set of the subject evaluation of the supplementary textbooks. The analysis with subjects presented six types: “Life-saving measures,” “Fortifying town,” “Measures required for disaster survival,” “Awareness of joining local community,” “Disaster comradery,” and “Living with family and community.” All the five supplementary textbooks featured those six types. More than half of the subjects were featured content regarding student emotions. The first three types were combined and understood as “Countermeasures” with “Knowledge.” In addition, the latter three types were combined and understood as subjects to teach the “Will to live together,” with a relation such as that of ethics and emotional learning. When the same data set was subjected to cluster analysis (ward method) using the evaluation items, four types were obtained: “Knowledge to prepare for earthquake and tsunami disasters,” “Solidarity with family and residents,” “Emergency Response Judgement,” and “Knowledge and skills useful at disaster time.” The types correspond to the classification of the conceptual model of disaster prevention education conducted by Sato et al. [1]. Additionally, all types have corresponding qualities and abilities. The results led teachers to believe that disaster prevention education should be implemented, not simply as life-saving education, but also as instructions that promote the emotional growth of children while cultivating humanity.

The role of popular discourse about climate change in disaster preparedness: A critical discourse analysis

This paper aims to make a discursive analysis of major climate change issues to show how language framing distorts the knowledge production and ideology construction that can affect the risk perception capacity of the disaster-affected people and their associated roles and actions in disaster preparedness. Utilizing the three main streams of the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method, the study expands on existing literature and examines twelve face to face ‘information-rich’ interviews from eight disaster-affected coastal villages of Bangladesh. The results show that disaster-affected coastal people lack a clear understanding of the concepts such as ‘climate change’, ‘global warming’, and ‘sea-level rise’ that seem purely scientific and atmospheric to them, and thereby hinder their risk perception capacity. Also, the misconception of ‘disaster’ as an ‘act of God’, ‘resilience’ as ‘financial security only’, and ‘migration’ as the ‘last resort’ restraints their capacity in selecting appropriate strategies related to disaster preparedness. Besides, the representation of coastal people by development workers as ‘helpless’, ‘beneficiary’, or ‘vulnerable’, contributes to constructing a generally accepted ideology that distorts the positive self-concept of coastal people. The distorted self-concept often makes the study population effortless in taking an active role in disaster preparedness. By highlighting the power of language in ideology construction, the study, finally, expects to keep a significant note on appropriate language representation in textual and verbal forms both at the policy and execution level for clear knowledge production about climate change-related issues and perfect characterization of each stakeholder's roles and actions in disaster preparedness.

Stressors and Supports in Postdisaster Recovery: Experiences After the Black Saturday Bushfires

ABSTRACT Many studies show that long-term poor mental health outcomes for disaster-affected people are predicted by postdisaster stressors. Despite this finding, existing recovery frameworks vary in how these stressors are conceptualised. This paper examines community members’ subjective perceptions of what they found problematic and useful in their recoveries after the Australian 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, and considers them in the light of these frameworks. We report the findings from responses to semi-structured survey questions as part of the Beyond Bushfires study, 3–4 years after these bushfires (n = 811). Participants identified the biggest problems as managing rebuilding processes and managing their own mental health, memories of the Black Saturday fires, and their concerns for family members. The four most useful supports were family, friends, rebuilding resources, and their community. We found a complex interplay of the same factors operating as both stressors and supports, particularly in relation to family levels of coping. IMPLICATIONS Disaster recovery efforts require the simultaneous management of physical rebuilding and human processes. Families, friends, and neighbours are underestimated resources in postdisaster recovery. Given the complex interplay of the same factors operating as both stressors and supports, interventions are needed that maximise the positive dimensions of these factors. To manage this complexity, multiple frameworks are needed to guide disaster recovery.

Using the variable two-step floating catchment area method to measure the potential spatial accessibility of urban emergency shelters

As a public service facility that provides relief, resettlement, and evacuation services to disaster-affected people, emergency shelters play a vital role in helping people cope with disaster events. The measurement of spatial accessibility of existing emergency shelters is a key task in improving emergency shelter services and minimizing property losses and deaths. In this study, considering the differences in emergency shelters’ service capacities and population distribution, we developed a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method with a variable service radius and evacuation radius to describe emergency shelter accessibility in Lanzhou’s core area and compared with the traditional 2SFCA method. Furthermore, we used bivariate local Moran's I to identify the spatial relationships between emergency shelter accessibility and population density. The results show that the traditional 2SFCA method underestimates accessibility in densely populated areas with dispersed emergency shelters. Shelter accessibility in Lanzhou’s core area is unevenly distributed, with the lowest levels of accessibility in densely populated areas. There is an obvious spatial mismatch between the accessibility of emergency shelters and the population density, and the central and western part of Chengguan has a serious shortage of emergency shelters. This study provides important information for the planning and construction of emergency shelters.

Representing Recovery: How the Construction and Contestation of Needs and Priorities Can Shape Long-term Outcomes for Disaster-affected People

We contend that the representational aspects of recovery play an important but under-researched role in shaping long-term outcomes for disaster-affected populations. Ideas constructed around events, people and processes, and conveyed through discussion, texts and images, are seldom neutral and can be exclusionary in their effect. This review draws insights from literature across multiple disciplines to examine how the representation of needs, roles and approaches to recovery influences the support different social groups receive, their capacities to recover, and their rights and agency. It shows how these representations can be contested and challenged, often by disaster-affected people themselves, and calls for increased attention on how to move creatively towards more informed, inclusive and supportive recovery visions and processes.