Disaster Coping Research Articles

Contribution of the Characteristics of the Disaster Affected People to Practice the Disaster Coping Strategies

A study was conducted in Gangachara Upazila of Rangpur district, Bangladesh from September to December 2018 to determine how the characteristics of affected individuals contribute to the implementation of coping methods during disasters. Information was gathered from a sample of 302 respondents, chosen at random from the population affected by the disaster through both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Among the nineteen personal, economic, and social factors of the disaster-affected individuals, fourteen showed a positive association, two showed a negative relationship, and three showed no significant relationship with their disaster coping strategies. Stepwise multiple regression analysis identified six key variables that significantly contributed to explaining 33.6 percent of the total variations: education (23 percent), income generating activities (3.6 percent), awareness about social safety net programme (2.9 percent), disaster affected land (1.2 percent), farm size (1.9 percent), and perception of climate change (1.0 percent). Path analysis indicated that disaster-affected land had the highest direct positive value (0.589), while farm size had the highest overall indirect influence (0.643) on disaster coping strategy practices. The order of importance for the disaster coping strategies practiced by affected people is as follows: disaster affected land, education, participation in income generating activities, awareness about social safety net programme, perception of climate change, and farm size.

Factors Affecting Disaster or Emergency Coping Skills in People with Intellectual Disabilities.

This study aimed to investigate the disaster or emergency coping skills of people with intellectual disabilities and the factors that affect these skills. The panel survey on the lives of people with disabilities from the 3rd dataset (2020) of the Korea Development Institute for the Disabled was used for this analysis. Response data from 275 people with intellectual disabilities aged 10 years or older were analyzed. Differences between disaster or emergency coping skill levels and sub-questions of skills, according to the general characteristics of people with intellectual disabilities, were identified, as well as factors affecting the level of disaster or emergency coping skills. The results show that the coping skills level was low; among the sub-questions, the use of fire extinguishers and awareness of the location of fire extinguishers or emergency bells in the event of a disaster or emergency were also low. Factors affecting the level of coping skills were found to be the level of education and experience in comprehensive disaster coping training. The results of this study suggest that training and education on disaster or emergency coping skills for people with intellectual disabilities are necessary and that programs should be developed for this purpose.

Examining the dynamics of interpersonal communication networks for disaster coping among a multiethnic community

ABSTRACT Interpersonal communication networks serve as a critical source of disaster support, yet their dynamic role in disaster coping remains less explored. Drawing from the literature on resilience organizing and network social capital, the current study investigates how individuals from diverse backgrounds re-construct their interpersonal communication networks in response to an emerging disaster and the impact of such networks on disaster-coping outcomes. Using a community survey of multiethnic residents affected by the 2021 Texas Winter Storm, we found that individuals re-constructed their communication networks by developing more racially heterogeneous and stronger interpersonal ties in response to the disaster, and these patterns varied across major ethnic groups. Moreover, individuals’ preexisting interpersonal communication relations both facilitated and constrained their disaster network reconstruction.

Role of tourism on disaster recovery: A case study of Uttarakhand, India

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is a tectonically active region, making it susceptible to natural and man-made hazards. The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand has a history of disasters that cause huge loss of life and property every year. Tourism plays an imperative role in the state's economy due to its natural resources and pilgrimage sites. To foster tourism, the Government of India proposed the Char-Dham National Highway project to connect the four major pilgrimage sites with other tourist destinations. However, development projects related to tourism, such as road construction, blasting, muck disposal, mining, deforestation, etc., may even increase the frequency of disasters. Hence, this study examines how tourism contributes to disaster impact and recovery. A survey of 716 households was conducted in 32 villages in Uttarakhand where major disasters happened in the past decade. Using the Mann-Whitney U test, differences between households on on-touristic and on off-touristic routes are highlighted. The findings revealed that people in both categories have suffered the same harsh effect of disasters, but their socioeconomic conditions are significantly different. Overall, disaster recovery in off-touristic route villages appears to be slower than in on-touristic route villages because of a lack of livelihood opportunities, alternative income sources, poverty, and a lack of disaster coping skills. A special recovery assistance is needed for off-touristic route villages as they are more vulnerable to hazards. Development projects related to tourism seem to facilitate disaster recovery, but still are connected with considerable disaster impacts. Thus, developing sustainable tourism solutions with resilient planning is an important step in improving disaster resilience of hill communities.

Demand-supply balance of disaster medical care in Osaka City based on damage estimation for a Nankai Trough megathrust earthquake: A geographic information system-based analysis.

Studies have not fully examined whether the medical care system would be able to manage the high number of casualties due to a Nankai Trough earthquake, whose probability of recurrence in the next 30 years is ~70%. This study assessed the demand-supply balance of the disaster medical care system in Osaka city by integrating the data on damage estimation and disaster coping hospitals using a geographic information system. We obtained data on the distribution of casualties in two cases, high and low rates of evacuation from the tsunami, and available beds in Osaka city calculated from operating data of each disaster coping hospital. We expanded these data on a geographic information system and investigated the balance of medical care. The total number of available beds in the disaster medical care facilities was 5,559, and the shortage with evacuation rates being either low or high, would be 47,631 and 1,487, respectively. With a low evacuation rate, bed shortage is a common occurrence in coastal areas. With a high evacuation rate, bed shortage decreases, and problems with medical care arise in the eastern area of Osaka city. In the case of a low evacuation rate, greater bed shortage was found along the coast of Osaka Bay where the probabilities of flooding are high. In the case of a high evacuation rate, however, the number of casualties was much lower. A shortage of medical care did not occur along the coast, but in the eastern part of Osaka city.

Effectiveness of post-disaster coping strategies among the farming households in the coastal districts of Odisha, India

Farmers in developing countries generally faced vulnerability in consumption due to income shocks caused by crop damage, price falls, disasters, etc. The ability to respond to such income shocks is determined by their asset structure labour endowment, access to credit and so on. Using information from 459 sample households in the three coastal districts of Odisha; India, this paper examines the effectiveness of ex-post coping strategies adopted by the farming households in the study regions. Based on wealth index score, we classified the sample households in to poor, medium and rich income groups for a deeper understanding of the impact floods on their consumption patterns. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression model was used for examining the effectiveness of post disaster coping strategies adopted the sample households. The results of regression model show that the practice of borrowing money from formal/informal sources is one of the most effective strategies resorted by the sample households in the study regions. Seasonal migration is an alternative strategy followed by poor and middle-income households in the study regions, whereas accessing to government or non-governmental assistance measures is an effective strategy on the part of richer households. Among the socio-economic characteristics, the educational attainment of household heads and the landholding size possessed by households have had a significant influence on narrowing down the consumption gaps. In this scenario, along with an effective implementation of welfare and employment generation programmes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), a widen access to the formal loan market helps farmers reduce migration and provide a secure income to the people which, in turn, helps them reduce their relative consumption gaps.

AN IMPACT OF FLOOD ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS – A CASE STUDY OF SAMPLE VILLAGES IN JOSHIMATH BLOCK, UTTARAKHAND

Natural hazards have caused a great deal of trouble for mankind throughout history, and their effect on national economies has also been noted. Landslides, cloudbursts, earthquakes, and floods are all common natural hazards in the Himalayan region. Floods have proven to be the most destructive of them all. Floods have had a major effect on the socio-economic lives of those who live near river basins or low-lying areas. The study aims to see how floods affect people's socio-economic lives in sampled villages in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district. The study is based on categorical (qualitative) and computable (quantitative) data which is collected from 3 sampled villages ( Raini, Tapovan, Payya Chormi). The qualitative data is collected through in-depth interviews with local people during the post-flood period, and the quantitative data is collected through random sampling of the population in selected villages. Following data collection, MS Excel was used to analyze the data, and Arc-GIS was used to create the study map. The study's findings show that the recent flash flood in Chamoli district harmed the villages' social and economic conditions. 46% of people say floods are quite frequent in the sampled villages which in turn impacts their employment. 54% of people in the sampled village suffered from unemployment. It is also evident from the results that floods have caused infrastructure damage (84%) which in turn had impacted the children's education as well. To deal with such issues we should promote group engagement in disaster coping strategies by increasing individual participation through seminars about coping methods and also provision of emergency food, water, drugs, and shelter for those affected.

Accurate Measurement and Assessment of Typhoon-Related Damage to Roadside Trees and Urban Forests Using the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

With drastic changes to the environment arising from global warming, there has been an increase in both the frequency and intensity of typhoons in recent years. Super typhoons have caused large-scale damage to the natural ecological environment in coastal cities. The accurate assessment and monitoring of urban vegetation damage after typhoons is important, as they contribute to post-disaster recovery and resilience efforts. Hence, this study examined the application of the easy-to-use and cost-effective Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) oblique photography technology and proposed an improved detection and diagnostic measure for the assessment of street-level damage to urban vegetation caused by the super typhoon Mangkhut in Shenzhen, China. The results showed that: (1) roadside trees and artificially landscaped forests were severely damaged; however, the naturally occurring urban forest was less affected by the typhoon. (2) The vegetation height of roadside trees decreased by 20–30 m in most areas, and that of artificially landscaped forests decreased by 5–15 m; however, vegetation height in natural forest areas did not change significantly. (3) The real damage to vegetation caused by the typhoon is better reflected by measuring the change in vegetation height. Our study validates the use of UAV remote sensing to accurately measure and assess the damage caused by typhoons to roadside trees and urban forests. These findings will help city planners to design more robust urban landscapes that have greater disaster coping capabilities.

Parent and child adjustment dual trajectories at the beginning of the COVID-19 syndemic.

Children and their families have been significantly impacted by the unfolding of the COVID‐19 syndemic. We sought to identify (1) groups of families with distinct profiles of joint trajectories of parental anxiety and child emotional distress and (2) protective and risk factors associated with these dual‐trajectory profiles. A sample of 488 parents (65% White; 77% mothers) with 3‐ to 8‐year‐old children (M Age = 5.04, SD Age = 1.59) was followed from late March to early July in 2020. Survey data on parent (i.e., anxiety symptoms) and child (i.e., emotional distress) adjustment were collected at three time points. Using multivariate growth mixture modeling, we identified one group with low parental anxiety and child emotional distress (42.7%) and three other distinct groups with varying risk levels among parents and/or children. We also identified protective (e.g., positive parenting) and risk (e.g., child negative affect, negative parenting, perceived stress with racism) factors in predicting parent and child adjustment. It can be concluded that, overall, our sample (mostly middle‐ and high‐socioeconomic status families) demonstrated family resilience amid COVID‐19, consistent with prior disaster coping literature. At the same time, our findings also indicated the need to identify at‐risk families and modifiable factors for post‐disaster public health interventions.

Disaster Preparedness and Coping Among Older Adults: Empirical Analysis and Virtual Reality Platform Development

This symposium included 4 studies that use national and regional data to examine older adults’ disaster preparedness and coping. The first study examined age differences in preparedness for the continuation of COVID-19 with a sample of 443 residents in Dallas, TX. The findings highlight older adults’ resilience and special needs for different types of support during the pandemic. The second study examined the association of having COVID-19 and intergenerational relationships using the COVID-19 module of the Health and Retirement Study with a sample of 3266 respondents. Using a national sample of 1,467 respondents from the 2017 U.S. National Household Survey, the third study examined age differences relationships among the type of disasters (i.e., disasters with different lead-time), response efficacy, and disaster preparedness. The findings highlighted older adults’ unique vulnerability and resilience in different types of disasters. The fourth study discussed a pilot virtual reality platform under development to assist older adults to develop tailored household emergency preparedness plans and practice those plans with simulated extreme weather conditions and warnings for older adults to practice disaster response and develop relevant knowledge and skills as well as test and revise their emergency preparedness plans. Overall, this symposium emphasizes the uniqueness of older adults’ needs, vulnerability, and resilience to disasters.

Contesting Forms of Knowledge in Policy Deliberation Lessons from Disaster Coping Policies in Thailand

This article presents the case of policy deliberation on disaster coping strategies in Bangkok, Thailand. It demonstrates the challenges scientists faced when they sought to influence policymaking on flood mitigation. The article demonstrates different forms of knowledge that shaped Bangkok’s flood policy, and explains how lay knowledge promoted by farmers, local communities, and Buddhist monks were successful in persuading policymakers and the wider public in their preferred policy option. Meanwhile, scientific knowledge failed to make their case in public forums, and on some occasions, even alienated Thai citizens. The article concludes by drawing lessons on how scientific and lay knowledge can better contest as well as connect their claims to enrich the process and outcomes of public deliberation on disaster coping policy.

Disaster communication ecology in multiethnic communities: Understanding disaster coping and community resilience from a communication resource approach

ABSTRACT The challenge for multiethnic communities to recover from disasters is well noted. Yet, research on which types of resources can help communities recuperate remains scarce. The current study explores how community-level communication resources—including interpersonal connections, local media storytelling, community-based organizations, and official emergency management communication—may function as a resource network for residents from diverse backgrounds to navigate the strenuous process of post-disaster recovery. Results based on a community survey confirm the positive link between disaster communication ecology and individuals’ disaster-coping outcomes. Findings further identify ethnicity-based divergence where certain communication resources play a more important role than others.

Conceptualizing Smart Disaster Governance: An Integrative Conceptual Framework

The discourse of disaster governance is focused on the arrangements, relationships, and roles of the various actors involved in disaster governance. However, due to the lack of research on utilizing emerging technologies in disaster governance systems, this paper addresses the prospective benefits of utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in smart disaster governance systems. The authors employed a conceptual analysis of the previous research on disaster governance and utilizing IoT in disaster management. The basic concepts and constructs were abstracted from the literature to conceptualize a smart disaster governance system and its processes. As a result, six spheres were portrayed to form the characteristics of the smart disaster governance system, and an integrative conceptual framework for smart disaster governance was developed. The conceptual framework encompasses IoT technologies’ capabilities and disaster governance functions, in addition to the foreseen enhancements in disaster coping capacities and an overall rise in disaster resilience. A hypothetical case study was conducted to investigate the conceptual framework’s plausibility, and it showed a probable enhancement of the disaster governance of the 2018 Kerala floods if the smart disaster governance framework was utilized. This research provides a novel conceptualization of smart disaster governance. It can deepen the understanding of prospective benefits of integrating IoT technologies with disaster governance functions, contribute to disaster governance policy formulations, and construct a basis for future research on smart disaster governance for a sustainable society.

The Effect of Information Access and Understanding on Disaster Response Actions among the Elderly at Home in Busan, Korea

With an aim to reduce the damage to the elderly who are vulnerable to disasters, this study analyzed the impact of disaster information access and understanding on the elderly’s response actions in disaster situations. The data were collected by surveying 191 elderly people over 65 years old living in their homes in Busan Metropolitan City. The analysis was conducted by frequency analysis and descriptive statistics using the SPSS 22.0 program to identify the demographic characteristics and major variables of the subjects. A multiple regression analysis was also conducted to verify whether information access and understanding of the elderly affects their disaster response behavior. It is found that the elderly’s disaster response behavior is affected by their access to disaster information on human resources (β=.205) and their understanding of disaster information on material resources (β=.340). The results of this study suggested the implementation plan to improve the disaster coping capacity of the elderly.

Coping capacity assessment of urban fire disaster: An exploratory study on ward no: 30 of Old Dhaka area

Fire is one of the major human-induced hazards which takes place due to less or no precautionary measures. According to the official statistics of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence (BFSCD), a total of 19672 fire incidents took place around the country in the year 2018 from which 6208 incidents took place in Dhaka city. The amount of damage and loss is very high. A total of 130 people died and 664 people were injured due to fire incidents around the country in the year 2018. In this paper, an attempt has been made to find outthe vulnerable condition of the study area in regards to fire disasters with specific vulnerability assessment tools and the existing coping capacity of the people due to fire disasters in the study area. Considering the objectives of this paper a quantitative methodology was used for collecting and analyzing data. For assessing the vulnerability of people in terms of fire a specific questionnaire was developed using the Likert scale. Secondary quantitative data was also explored to cross-check the findings of this paper and to increase reliability and validity. For assessing the coping capacity of the people in this paper, a framework has been used to learn Individual Disaster Coping Capacity (IDCC), Actual Community Disaster Coping Capacity (ACDCC), and Potential Disaster Coping Capacity (PCDCC) of the study area. In both IDCC and ACDCC scales the study area marked very low points. In PCDCC the community marked average to high points. The result represents that the community has the potentiality to cope with fire incidents if they are provided with knowledge and skills development support. This study indicates that with proper supports and interventions the community can develop a satisfactory coping capacity. According to the definition of risk, there are three components which are hazard, vulnerability, and capacity. If we focus to reduce the risk of fire, we need to reduce the vulnerabilities and increase capacity. For this reason, taking different programs and measures to increase the coping capacity of community people will support mitigating and reducing the impacts of fire.

Assessment of Natural Disaster Coping Capacity from Social Capital Perspectives: A Case Study of Bangkok

Many cities and regions have recently experienced economic and environmental losses due to natural disasters. Economic losses are particularly high in urban areas where population and many economic activities are highly concentrated. Urban communities’ abilities and capacities to cope with natural disasters are essential to understand the impacts of natural disasters. Urban communities’ coping capacity is found to be closely linked to social capital of such communities. This paper aims to assess the natural disaster coping capacity of urban residents with social capital approach. The case study is Bangkok, Thailand. Using principal component analysis (PCA), the analysis shows that social cohesion, empowerment, and trust plays a key role in social capital level of Bangkok residents. Mapping social capital index at the district level suggests that urbanization may be contributable to the level of social capital.

Quantitative Assessment of Natural Disaster Coping Capacity: An Application for Typhoons

At present, natural disaster coping capabilities are quantitively represented as high, moderate, or low. These classifications, which are described as the results of relative grades, have failed to reveal the specific grades of disaster coping capacity. Therefore, an assessment method of natural disaster coping capacity, which is attempted to quantify the natural disaster coping capacity as disaster grades, was proposed in this study. First, an indicator system consisting of disaster reduction ability index, disaster resilience ability index, and disaster relief ability index was established. The index values were defined as disaster grades according to the historical disaster-related data and information on the equipment and infrastructure for disaster prevention. Second, the weights assigned to these indicators were assessed by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Then, the back propagation (BP) neural network was used to examine the indicator weights. Finally, the disaster coping capacity was estimated by using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model. The assessment result was characterized as disaster grade. Cangnan county was chosen as a case study for the assessment of typhoon coping capacity by the proposed method. The results showed that the coping capacity of the county was prepared to deal with 12–13 intensity grades of typhoon. The assessment carried out using the proposed method accurately reflected the typhoon coping capacity of Cangnan. Moreover, the index values of disaster reduction ability, disaster resilience, and disaster relief ability revealed the advantages and limitations of typhoon coping capacity. This suggests that natural disaster coping capacity can be quantitatively assessed by the proposed method.

Disaster Coping Strategy Practiced by the Affected People for their Livelihood Due to Climate Change

The purpose of the study were to (i) determine the disaster coping strategy practiced by the affected people (ii) assess the socio-economic profile of the respondents, (iii) ascertain the contribution of selected characteristics of the people and (iv) identify the constraints of disaster coping strategy practiced by the affected people. The study was conducted at Gangachara Upazila of Rangpur District. Data were collected from a sample of 302 respondents, randomly selected from disaster affected population. Age, education, family size, farm size, disaster affected land, annual income, training received, extension media contact, knowledge on disaster coping strategy, environmental awareness, household assets, credit facilities, IGAs, water and sanitation condition, risk orientation, awareness about SSNP, perception of Climate Change (CC), perception of disasters and scope of work in vulnerable situation constituted the independent variables, while disaster coping strategy practiced was the dependent variable. For measuring the disaster coping strategy practices, a 4-point rating scale was used against 50 items taking 10 items from each of five components of human needs e.g. 1) food preservation, collection and management, 2) agricultural products protection, 3) maintaining social network, 4) safeguard of health and sanitation, and 5) protection of housing and shelter. Numerical values and scales were used to measure the personal attributes. Regression and path analysis were employed to determine the contribution among the variables. For exploring relationship between the two variables Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (r) was used. The majority (77.8 per cent) of the respondents had regular coping strategies compared to 22.2 per cent were found to have occasional coping strategies in the study area. Among 19 independent variables 16 were found significant relationship with the dependent variable. Stepwise multiple regression revealed that six variables namely education (23 per cent), participation in IGAs (3.6 percent), awareness of SSNPs (2.9 percent), disaster affected land (1.2 percent), farm size (1.9 percent) and perception of CC (1 percent) were the important contributing variables which combined explained 33.6 of the total variation of practice of coping strategy. Path analysis indicated that disaster affected land (0.589) had the highest positive direct effect while farm size (0.643) had the highest positive indirect effect to the disaster coping strategy practice. The major constraints for practicing disaster coping strategy in the study area were ‘Lack of knowledge and skills of affected people‘, ‘Lack of relief materials during disaster‘, ‘Lack of technologies‘, ‘Weak weather forecasting‘, ‘Less motivation’, ‘Low sanitation & health coverage’ and ‘Lack of communication during disasters’,. To cope up with the challenges of the disasters, the people used reduction of food intake per meal, putting goods above flood level, keeping women and children in safer places, using boiled and tube well water, providing health care support to the sick family members, transfer important documents to the safer places, increasing level of homestead with soil, taking relief, credit, religious fasting, using mosque/temple as campaigning center, borrowing principal food from neighbor, use savings, migration, livestock sell, and social interconnectedness as the major coping strategies to survive the situation and improve their livelihood.

Psychosocial vulnerability and demographic characteristics in extreme flash floods: The case of Mandra 2017 flood in Greece

Floods are among the most frequent phenomena leading to disastrous, long term social and economic impacts globally. On November 15, 2017, 24 people were killed and hundreds were left homeless in the vicinities of the towns of Mandra and Nea Peramos in Attica region, Greece, as a result of a catastrophic flash flood triggered by extreme rainfall. The impact of such events has been the focus of studies for years consistently indicating adverse effects ranging from short to long term, on post-disaster physical and psychological health. This paper explores the initial impact of extreme flash floods on communities in terms of psychological and physical health, by means of a self-report questionnaire. Findings are investigated in relation to demographic variables and vulnerability predictors. Self-reports differed prior and after the flash flood, with negative changes in both domains. Results indicated significant differences in both physical and physiological health by gender, age, marital and occupational status. According to Spearman's correlation coefficient, physical and psychological effects showed moderately positive correlations for most independent variables. Results indicate a need to align prevention, aid and intervention strategies in the recovery phase and address issues such as public awareness, information provision and post disaster coping strategies.

Exploring the status of disaster risk reduction focusing coping strategies in Rangpur division of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a low laying country where disaster events are common phenomena almost every year. Same as coastal areas of Bangladesh, the northern areas are now suffering huge events of floods, droughts and riverbank erosion. The main purpose of this study is to determine the practice of disaster coping strategies by the people in the study areas. The study was carried out at Rajibpur sub-district under Kurigram district, Saghatta sub-district under Gaibandha district, Gangachara sub-district under Rangpur district, Aditmari sub-district under Lalmonirhat district and Dimla sub-district under Nilphamari district. Data were collected from a sample of 300 respondents from 5 subdistricts by using interview schedules 12 January 2017 to 19 March 2018. About 80% respondents are dependent on the TV or Radio news for pre-disaster warning and forecasting as well as more than this population loses their property above BDT 50000 in every year due to disaster damage. During flood, the respondents maintain some scoping materials like raising plinth, making scaffold, using moveable cooking materials, taking loan from the Mahajan and sold their non-productive assets. Most of the respondents from various study area follow these kinds of measures and about 63.33% respondents use bamboo or wood for their cooking purpose during flood. About 40% respondents from these study areas are suffered of shelter due to riverbank erosion and they migrate here and there for better life. More than two third of the respondents have no opportunity to get any kind of help or relief from the GOs and NGOs. They are now depending on their own coping strategies. They badly need a new coping strategy for reducing the damage of flood or riverbank erosion. Disaster forecasting, early warning system and community-based flood management can save many lives and properties. For effective disaster management strategies, it could be applied early warning systems and adequate training as pre-disaster strategy and availability of relief and other inputs at acceptable price and loan with flexible conditions as post-disaster strategy.
 Progressive Agriculture 29 (3): 195-204, 2018