Disaster Resilience Research Articles

Urgency of disaster resilient village-geosite program: unveiling the critical need for strengthening connections between geosites and village communities

The Disaster Resilient Village Program (Destana) is a program that held by National and Regency Disaster Management Agency. However, the connection of Destana to the holistical aspect such as geologic landscape aspect is a discoursive material that appeals to many disaster management practitioners, scholars, international donors or governments. This study aims to explore the urgency of Disaster Resilient Geosites-Village Program from the risk condition, regulation, and community perception. Geopark Jogja and Geopark Gunung Sewu with their 20 geosites was purposively selected as the site of investigation. A qualitative research method involving focus group interviews (FGI), interviews, risk analysis using InaRisk, and regulatory analysis was used to explore and capture urgency of Disaster Resilient Village Program in geosites context, that called as Disaster Resilient Geosites-Village Program. Based on the results, several essential urgency were underlined for all approaches as follows: (1) all village with geosites have high to medium risks of disasters (2) geosites facing decline in the physical and environmental carrying capacity, which consequently leads to increased disasters risks for the community villages (3) local wisdom that develops in geosite areas is beneficial for disaster risk reduction efforts, and (4) well-conserved geosites support the local economic resiliency through tourism and geoproducts. These urgencies are expected to improve the community resiliency through a program aimed at reducing disaster risk through the mainstreaming of geosite functions into village-level policies and actions to enhance community resilience. This urgency study can stimulate community-level pilot projects that can be replicated in other areas or even elevated to government-level policies

Priority for improving disaster resilience at the Higher Education Level: awareness, integration, and Management

Abstract Muhammadiyah University (Unismuh) Palu, one of the universities in Central Sulawesi, has potential resources to ensure the use of science and technology foundations in disaster management. In addition, increasing disaster resilience is a shared responsibility and requires the involvement of all parties, including the academic community, through systematic, massive, and structured activities. The research aims to analyze the priority of increasing disaster resilience at the Higher Education Level based on the role of internal stakeholders and the determinant aspects related to awareness, integration, and management. The study used a qualitative descriptive method to describe the history of earthquake, tsunami, and liquefaction events in Central Sulawesi. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is used to determine the hierarchy of stakeholder priorities and aspects in increasing disaster resilience at Unismuh Palu through implementing the Four Pillars of Higher Education towards a Disaster Awareness Academic Community and a Disaster Preparedness Campus. The results show that disaster literacy is very important in efforts to increase disaster resilience at Unismuh Palu. The results show that disaster literacy is very important in efforts to increase disaster resilience at Unismuh Palu. Institutional leadership and awareness are a priority for the role of internal university stakeholders and the determining aspect that has the highest value. This is related to regulations and management that guarantee the implementation of disaster mitigation integrated with the Four Pillars of Higher Education activities to increase disaster resilience at Unismuh Palu.

The state of sustainable and disaster-resilient infrastructure in Indonesia

This paper discusses the paradigm shift in the way we think about disaster resilience and sustainability in the context of infrastructure, particularly in lower-income and disaster-prone countries like Indonesia. We highlight the importance of resilience as a critical component of sustainability, as it improves the agility and flexibility of infrastructure against future climate-related and other hazards. We discuss the potential trade-offs between disaster-resilient infrastructure and sustainable infrastructure and suggest that decision-makers can use a comprehensive approach that considers the overlap between the physical environment, social dynamics, metabolic flows, and governance networks to address these challenges. To obtain research objectives, a combination of three methods was used, namely policy analysis, case study, and comparative approach. This combination is to get a holistic picture of Indonesia’s conditions. This paper also presents several approaches that can be used to prioritize both resilience and sustainability in infrastructure projects.

Disaster risk analysis of Merapi Volcano eruption in the north slope based on the New Volcanic Risk Ranking (VRR) methods

Merapi Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and has inconsistent direction and eruption types. In addition, unplanned urbanization and the ever-increasing population on the North Slope of Merapi Volcano can cause population concentration and increasingly complex economic activities in areas exposed to natural hazards. This research aims to determine the hazard, exposure, vulnerability, resilience, and risk of Merapi Volcano eruption on the northern slopes. Risk level analysis uses the New Volcanic Risk Ranking methodology. The New Volcanic Risk Ranking consists of 34 parameters, with hazard having two parameters, exposure having nine parameters, vulnerability having ten, and resilience having thirteen parameters. Because the number of parameters evaluated for each factor is different, normalization is required to 10 so that they have the same weight. The research results show that the eruption threat index on the northern slopes of Merapi Volcano was dominated by high class, with the highest areas in Tlogolele Village (priority in Hamlet 5) and Klakah Village (focus in Hamlet 3 and 4). The high-exposure index within a 5 km radius of the Merapi Volcano crater is Tlogolele Village (priority in Hamlet 5) and Klakah Village (focus in Hamlet 4). The overall vulnerability index on the North Slope is in the medium class. The highest disaster resilience index is in Tlogolele and Klakah Villages. The high-risk level is in Tlogolele Village (priority in Hamlet 5) and Klakah Hamlet (focus in Hamlet 3 and 4).

Resilience level assessment of regional water resources system based on multi-link

As environmental and human changes combine, water shortage and ecological fragility are becoming increasingly serious issues in the basin. The national “14th Five-Year Plan” proposes to build resilient basins to enhance disaster resilience. On the basis of clarifying the multi-link characteristics of water resources system resilience under the influence of meteorology-hydrology-ecology-society-economy, this paper reveals the interrelationship and chain reaction among the factors affecting the resilience of water resources system by clarifying the multi-link characteristics of water resources system resilience. Based on the interconnections among meteorology-hydrology-engineering-economic society-ecology in regional water resources systems, this study constructs a resilience evaluation index for the water resources system. The index considers different objectives, dimensions, and scales to provide a comprehensive assessment of the system’s resilience. Based on the multi-dimensional relationship of the evaluation index system, the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method based on entropy weight method is employed to depict the resilience level of the water resources system at varying spatial and temporal scales. By focusing on Shanxi Province as the research subject, a multi-link evaluation framework for assessing the resilience of the water resources system is established, and a quantitative approach to evaluate its resilience is investigated. The results show that the level of water resources resilience in Shanxi Province has improved from 2017 to 2021, and there are certain spatial and temporal differences. In 2021, only Lvliang City and Yangquan City have low resilience level, and the resilience level of other cities has been improved. Among them, Taiyuan City has the highest resilience level of 0.56, which belongs to the high resilience level. The research results can improve the cognitive level of multi-link evolution mechanism of resilience to a certain extent, and provide scientific basis for multi-dimensional targeted regulation of water resources system resilience.

Socio-economic vulnerability level in the Jeneberang watershed in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

Jeneberang watershed is vital, particularly for people living in Gowa Regency (South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia), who benefit from its many advantages. Landslides and floods occur every year in the Jeneberang watershed, so it is imperative to understand the socio-economic vulnerability of this region. This research aims to identify the vulnerability level of the Jeneberang watershed so that the government can prioritize areas with high vulnerability level and formulate effective strategies to reduce these the vulnerability. Specifically, this study was conducted in 12 districts located in the Jeneberang watershed. The primary data were collected from questionnaires completed by community members, community leaders, and various stakeholders, and the secondary data were from the Landsat satellite imagery in 2020, the Badan Push Statistic of Gowa Regency, and some governmental agencies. The socio-economic vulnerability variables were determined using the Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method, and each variable was weighted and analyzed using the Geographical Information System (GIS). The study reveals that the levels of socio-economic vulnerability are affected by variables such as population density, vulnerable groups (disabled people, elderly people, and young people), road network and settlement, percentage of poor people, and productive land area in the Jeneberang watershed. Moreover, all of the 12 districts in the Jeneberang watershed are included in the medium vulnerability level, with the mean percentage of socio-economic vulnerability around 50.92%. The socio-economic vulnerability of Bajeng, Pallangga, and Somba Opu districts is categorized at high level, the socio-economic vulnerability of Bungaya, Parangloe, and Tombolo Pao districts is classified as medium level, and the remaining 6 districts (Barombong, Bontolempangan, Bontomarannu, Manuju, Parigi, and Tinggimoncong) are ranked as low socio-economic vulnerability. This study can help policy-makers to formulate strategy that contributes to the protection of biodiversity and sustainable development of the Jeneberang watershed, while improving disaster resilience and preparedness of the watershed.

Disaster resilience of flood in Kerala, India

Kerala, the southern state in the Indian peninsula, has been affected by floods for the last three consecutive years. Changing weather patterns leading to heavy monsoon and development without considering the ecological vulnerabilities of the region has been pointed out as the reasons for flooding. Displaced communities, the destruction of agricultural and industrial enterprises, and health concerns have made disaster management a challenge for communities and governments alike. Even though there were lots of difficulties, the way Keralites came out of all these miseries and their adaptation was really inexplicable and always provided scope for research in that area. This paper focuses on examining the flooding pattern and impact of floods in Kerala, India and assessing the resilience capacity of the affected community. Self-developed questionnaires were used to gather data from the flood-affected population in the most flood-affected districts in Kerala. To gauge the respondents’ opinions, the questionnaire used a five-point variable Likert scale. When all was said and done, 260 valid questionnaires were successfully retrieved. The study found that communities show resilience to flood with partnership and decentralised management of disasters. The study could help recognise the strategies for building resilient communities through policy intervention and civil society participation.

Optimizing the location and configuration of disaster resilience hubs under transportation and electric power network failures

Natural disasters often result in failures of transportation network components and blackouts that imperil the wellbeing of vulnerable populations. In response to these events, resilience hubs have been proposed as a pre-disaster planning strategy to improve access to critical services. This paper introduces an optimization-based approach to locate and configure electric power-generating resilience hubs considering the possibility of failures in transportation and electric power systems. The model’s objective is to identify hub locations and configurations that maximize transportation accessibility to the hubs and maximize the satisfaction of basic energy needs through hub-generated electric power. Besides a budget constraint, the model accounts for limits on the levels of hub energy generation vis-à-vis community energy demands, and on the transportation network distance of communities to hubs. Three heuristics are presented for the proposed planning problem. The first heuristic is a genetic algorithm (GA) with problem-specific solution generation procedures. The other two heuristics implement greedy search techniques. Numerical experiments were conducted, using data from rural Puerto Rico, to illustrate the application of the proposed model and heuristics, and examine their performance. In the numerical experiments, the GA heuristic found better solutions than the greedy heuristics. Additionally, design solutions consisting of spatially dispersed hubs with low energy generation capacity were better than solutions with spatially concentrated high-capacity hubs. Lastly, across a wide range of hub demand scenarios, only a small number of candidate hub locations consistently ranked among the best locations for establishing a hub.

Development and Application of Technical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Smart Water Cities (SWCs) Global Standards and Certification Schemes

Smart water cities (SWCs) use advanced technologies for efficient management and preservation of the urban water cycle, strengthening sustainability and improving the quality of life of the residents. This research aims to develop measurement and evaluation tools for SWC key performance indicators (KPIs), focusing on innovative water technologies in establishing unified global standards and certification schemes. The KPIs are categorized based on the stage at which water is being measured, namely the urban water cycle, water disaster management and water supply and treatment. The objective is to assess cities’ use of technologies in providing sufficient water supply, monitoring water quality, strengthening disaster resilience and maintaining and preserving the urban water ecosystem. The assessment is composed of a variety of procedures performed in a quantitative and qualitative manner, the details of which are presented in this study. The developed SWC KPI measurements are used to evaluate the urban water management practices for Busan Eco Delta City, located in Busan, South Korea. Evaluation processes were presented and established, serving as the guideline basis for certification in analyzing future cities, providing integrated and comprehensive information on the status of their urban water system, gathering new techniques, and proposing solutions for smarter measures.

Evaluating environmental legislation on disaster resilience: Data insights from Nigeria and the USA

This review provides a succinct overview of the research conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental legislation in enhancing disaster resilience, drawing insights from case studies in Nigeria and the United States. Environmental legislation plays a pivotal role in mitigating the impacts of natural disasters, yet its effectiveness in fostering resilience remains a subject of debate. This study employs a comparative analysis approach, examining the legislative frameworks and their implementation in two diverse contexts: Nigeria, representing a developing nation with significant environmental challenges, and the USA, a developed nation with robust regulatory mechanisms. Through comprehensive data collection and analysis, this research scrutinizes the extent to which environmental legislation contributes to disaster resilience in both countries. Key factors such as regulatory compliance, enforcement mechanisms, stakeholder engagement, and institutional capacity are evaluated to gauge the efficacy of the legislative frameworks. Findings reveal disparities in the implementation and effectiveness of environmental legislation between Nigeria and the USA. In Nigeria, despite the existence of relevant laws, challenges persist in enforcement due to institutional weaknesses, corruption, and inadequate resources. Consequently, communities remain vulnerable to recurrent disasters, exacerbating socio-economic disparities and environmental degradation. Conversely, the USA demonstrates a more structured approach to environmental legislation, with robust regulatory mechanisms, efficient enforcement, and proactive risk management strategies. This has led to greater resilience and adaptive capacity, evidenced by effective disaster preparedness, response, and recovery measures. However, despite these disparities, the study identifies common areas for improvement in both contexts. Strengthening institutional capacity, enhancing public awareness and participation, promoting sustainable practices, and fostering international cooperation emerge as crucial strategies to bolster disaster resilience through environmental legislation. This research underscores the significance of evaluating environmental legislation in enhancing disaster resilience, providing valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders in Nigeria, the USA, and beyond. By addressing the identified challenges and leveraging best practices, nations can foster a more resilient future in the face of escalating environmental risks and uncertainties.

Seismic disaster resilience by improving infrastructure strength in active seismotectonic zones of Sikkim Himalaya, India—An integrated in-situ and laboratory based approach

Seismic disaster resilience by improving infrastructure strength in active seismotectonic zones of Sikkim Himalaya, India—An integrated in-situ and laboratory based approach

Flood teleconnections from levees undermine disaster resilience

Inland levees can amplify flood risk in unprotected communities by altering floodwater levels away from their location. While these nonlocal effects of levees, which we term flood teleconnections, have been studied for specific river segments, their impact on flood risks along a river network remains underexplored. By combining data-driven, hydrodynamic, and economic models, we quantify the magnitude, spatial distribution, and economic damages associated with flood teleconnections for a large river network system with extensive levees. We find that due to levees, the 100-year flood inundation extent grows by 25% of the total levee-protected area regionally, and the flood inundation depth increases by up to 2 m at specific locations. Levees also increase the vulnerability of unprotected, marginalized communities to flooding. Our results demonstrate that flood teleconnections are spatially widespread, involve unaccounted costs, and can lead to flood inequities. These findings will be critical to climate adaptation efforts in flood-prone regions.

The contribution of the resilience approach to the governance of complex systems: A qualitative study in the Po delta area, Italy

The increase in climate and weather extremes calls for a strengthening of resilience and governance in coastal areas. One of the primary challenges faced by decision-makers, managers, and communities in implementing measures to build disaster-resilient societies is that priorities vary depending on the location and are subject to diverse interpretations. This diversity makes resilience a societal issue, and its operationalization a challenging process.While the importance of resilience-thinking has gained widespread recognition in coastal management policy, and considerable research has been dedicated to defining the concept, there remains a scarcity of empirical studies delving into the discourse surrounding disaster resilience among stakeholders and its significance in managing complex situations. To effectively integrate resilience into the realm of coastal governance, gaining a better understanding of the concept is necessary. Engaging various actors in the assessment of a system's resilience is vital as it holds the potential to uncover shared solutions.By employing the Grounded Theory Methodology approach and utilizing the diverse expertise and practical insights of 17 governance actors in the Po Delta in Italy, we identified key factors that should be considered in the policy design when operationalizing coastal resilience, with the notions of stability and transformation envisioned as a central component of the strategy.

“Not enough”: A qualitative analysis of community perceptions of neighborhood government flood management plans using the case of Houston, Texas

Disasters, including floods, have increased in intensity over recent decades due to climate change and urbanization. Some local governments have attempted to engage communities in resilience efforts, referred to as Community-Based Disaster Resilience Management (CBDRM). However, it is unclear to what extent governments can effectively involve local communities in flood management plans, and how much flood management is perceived to be a “shared responsibility,” especially in low-income and minority areas. One city attempting to engage low-income and minority communities is Houston, Texas, which provides an opportunity to study how these efforts play out in the community in real time. Specifically, in this study, we examine Kashmere Gardens, a target neighborhood of the Houston initiative. We used a purposive and snowball sampling method and a grounded theory methodological approach to conduct qualitative in-depth interviews with 22 Kashmere Gardens residents. From this process, we found several themes, including affordability and convenience, neglect and distrust toward government, a lack of awareness concerning government flood management plans, and a sense of personal efficacy in the face of feelings of government neglect. The results of this study suggest that clearer communication from the city and more direct engagement with the community through on the ground programming may be necessary to develop better community trust and partnership in high flood risk areas. In terms of policy, utilizing funds to organize transportation or place meetings physically in the neighborhood, and employing more community organizers from within the community who have local knowledge, may foster better engagement to develop trust.

Quantitative assessment of building risks and loss ratios caused by storm surge disasters: A case study of Xiamen, China

China is severely affected by storm surge disasters, which result in substantial economic losses and casualties in coastal regions. Assessing the risk of storm surge disasters can provide valuable insights into the expected losses and severity of future impacts, offering critical foresight for disaster prevention and mitigation strategies. This study assesses the quantitative risk of storm surge disasters, focusing on coastal buildings since they are particularly susceptible to storm surges and frequently bear the brunt such disasters. Xiamen city, China, was used as case study. A high-precision numerical model, using Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM), was developed to simulate inundation during storm surges. By referencing historical storm surge records, we defined key parameters for probable maximum typhoon-induced storm surge (PMTSS) in Xiamen. These parameters were used to calculate the corresponding inundation range and water depth distribution within the region. Subsequently, the results were integrated with vulnerability curves that represent the susceptibility of buildings in Xiamen to storm surge-induced damage, enabling the quantitative risk assessment for associated loss risks. The study findings offer valuable guidance for urban planning and functional layout design in coastal areas. Furthermore, the findings contribute to understanding storm surge disaster risks and facilitating informed decision-making processes, ultimately enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience in vulnerable coastal regions.

Nonergodic Ground-Motion Models for Subduction Zone and Crustal Earthquakes in Japan

ABSTRACT We investigate the nonergodic behavior of ground motions from subduction zone earthquakes and crustal earthquakes in Japan using the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience strong-motion flatfile together with various reference ergodic ground-motion models (GMMs). For the nonergodic path effects, our nonergodic GMM has two path effects terms: a cell-specific linear-distance scaling, denoted as δP2PQ, that mimics the effects of a 3D Q structure, and a source- and site-specific term related to the effects of the 3D velocity structure, denoted δP2PV. The resulting model provides spatially varying nonergodic source, site, and path terms. The GMM smoothly interpolates and extrapolates the nonergodic terms in space so that the GMM can be applied to any combination of source and site locations in the region. In regions where data are sparse, the median nonergodic terms will approach zero but with large epistemic uncertainty. Over the period range of 0–10 s, the ranges of the standard deviations of the nonergodic source, path, and site terms are 0.2–0.65, 0.25–0.40, and 0.15–0.40 natural log units, respectively. The fully nonergodic models lead to a 40%–55% decrease in the aleatory standard deviation compared to the reference ergodic GMMs. This large reduction in the aleatory standard deviation combined with the change in the median given by the nonergodic terms can exert a significant impact on the computed seismic hazard for the Japan region.

Enhancing social vulnerability assessment with energy resilience: A comprehensive study of the Netherlands

A comprehensive vulnerability assessment is a scientific basis for the realization of the United Nations' sustainable development goals. Energy resilience plays a crucial role in mitigating social vulnerability due to disaster shocks. Often, energy infrastructure and services collapse after disasters. The recent Russia-Ukraine war has exacerbated Europe's energy crisis and social vulnerabilities, making it even more urgent to add energy resilience to vulnerability assessments. This paper takes the Netherlands as the study area for vulnerability assessment, constructs a new social vulnerability indicator (SVI) system supplemented with the energy element, and compares that with the traditional energy indicator system.The results indicate that: 1) The introduction of energy indicators fills the gap of traditional SVI assessment. 2) Energy indicators reveal regional and spatial differences in potential social vulnerability in the Netherlands. 3) Energy-inclusive SVI demonstrates that uneven urbanization exacerbates risks and inequalities for vulnerable groups, with potential impacts on social vulnerability. Sustainable urban development requires the search for a recognized and coordinated approach to managing vulnerability across regions. The complementarity of energy indicators offers opportunities to provide a more comprehensive assessment of spatial patterns of social vulnerability, identify potentially vulnerable areas, enhance urban disaster resilience, and achieve sustainable urban development.

EVALUATING THE ROLE OF BIG DATA IN U.S. DISASTER MITIGATION AND RESPONSE: A GEOLOGICAL AND BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

Navigating the complex nexus of big data's application in U.S. disaster mitigation and response, this study embarks on an intellectual odyssey to unravel the dynamic interplay between geology and business. Set against the backdrop of an increasingly data-driven world, the research delves into the transformative potential of big data in revolutionizing disaster management paradigms.
 The expedition of this paper is twofold: to dissect the evolutionary trajectory of big data in the realm of disaster management and to illuminate its economic ramifications and theoretical underpinnings. The scope of this inquiry extends to a meticulous examination of the efficacy of big data in forecasting natural disasters, optimizing disaster response mechanisms and evaluating their economic and environmental impacts. Employing a methodological tapestry woven with qualitative analyses, the study meticulously synthesizes a spectrum of peer-reviewed literature. This scholarly pursuit unveils that big data stands as a beacon of innovation, significantly bolstering the precision of disaster predictions, streamlining response strategies and fortifying economic resilience. The fusion of geological acumen with strategic business insights emerges as a cornerstone in crafting adept disaster management strategies.
 The crescendo of this scholarly narrative underscores big data as a pivotal catalyst in the metamorphosis of disaster management strategies. The paper advocates for an embracement of big data by policymakers and disaster management aficionados, urging its integration for crafting more resilient, efficient, and sustainable disaster responses. The horizon of future research is marked by a quest to bridge existing gaps, with a clarion call for enhancing real-time disaster responses and predictive prowess. This scholarly discourse offers a prism through which the impact of big data in disaster management is not only understood but also harnessed, providing invaluable insights for academia, policy formulation and practical implementation.
 Keywords: Big Data, Disaster Management, Predictive Analytics, Geological Insights, Business Strategies, Disaster Resilience.

Literacy for Disaster Resilience from “Downstream”: A Case Study of the Nankai Trough Earthquake Countermeasures in Kochi City

Disaster resilience is an interdisciplinary area of study. Collaboration between humanities and sciences is important to approach issues in this area. However, science and engineering consider disaster resilience as minimizing the scientifically estimated damage induced by natural hazards. In contrast, disaster resilience studies in the social sciences tend to focus on societal vulnerability. The views between the two disciplines can lead to inconsistency or contradiction. This paper discussed this issue. To do so, the author uses the case study focusing on the effects of predictions on Nankai Trough Earthquake countermeasures in Kochi City, Japan. First, this study revealed that not only the revision of hazard prediction but the historical background of land use development affected the large-scale earthquake damage estimation in Kochi City. Second, the upward revision of hazard prediction resulted in strengthening of community disaster management. However, it also accelerated residential relocation associated with class disparities. As a result, ironically, marginalized social groups were unevenly located in predicted tsunami inundation areas. However, such issues are not considered in the existing disaster resilience scheme and policy. Based on this analysis, it is argued that communicating scientific knowledge on hazards to society alone is not enough. Considering the local context, the perspective of literacy for disaster resilience from downstream’ is also important.

Special Issue on Literacy for Disaster Resilience: Building a Societal Capacity for Reducing Disasters Due to Earthquake and Volcanic Eruption

The national earthquake and national volcanic eruption prediction programs of Japan started in 1965 and 1974, respectively, based on the recommendation of the Geodesy Council. As a result, observations of seismic and volcanic activity have been enhanced and our understanding of the mechanisms of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions has made significant advances. However, these research results did not fully contribute to mitigating the damage caused by the 1995 Kobe earthquake or the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. In order to make further contributions to disaster mitigation, we recognize the importance of research to apply the scientific understanding of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in collaboration with researchers in related research fields. The Earthquake and Volcano Hazards Observation and Research Program (2014–2018) was thus started on the basis of a recommendation of the Council for Science and Technology. In this Program, research in the area of forecasting the hazards of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions has become one of the main pillars of research. Disaster information and knowledge of the disaster process, which involve the interaction of hazards and natural and social vulnerability, have been investigated in cooperation with earth scientists, engineers, and social scientists. On the basis of our results, research on literacy for disaster resilience was selected as one of the main pillars of research in the Second Observation and Research Program of Earthquake and Volcano Hazards (2019–2023), because a better understanding of and immediate information about disasters are important for disaster mitigation. This special issue, which aims to disseminate the results of almost five years of research activities on literacy for disaster resilience in that Program, includes 15 papers and survey reports from multidisciplinary fields of study. The collection begins with Kimura and Ikeda’s important paper discussing the conceptual structure of the knowledge and abilities necessary to build disaster resilience capacities by analyzing school and community-based efforts, followed by a variety of empirical studies that are loosely categorized into two groups. The first group of papers concerns the understanding of disaster processes and mechanisms themselves as a factor inducing disaster prevention and mitigation. First, Ebina and Sugawara, and Sugimori attempt to learn lessons from the pre-modern earthquake disasters based on past picture maps and scrolled records, respectively, followed by Ohkura’s interesting paper that points to problems in the Aso Volcano disaster mitigation system by analyzing the 2021 phreatic eruption process. Next, utilizing information and communication technology to support effective evacuation, Inoguchi, and Shiozaki and Hashimoto develop a disaster management toolkit and the tsunami drill program, respectively. The following two papers of Takubo et al. discuss behavioral mechanisms in a disaster period based on their simulation experiments from a cognitive science perspective. The second group investigates methods of enhancing people’s literacy for disaster resilience, paying special attention to the interaction between science and civil society, led by Sawada and Sato, and Muroi, both discussing the disaster risk reduction efforts of small and medium-sized enterprises and of community-based organizations, respectively, in anticipation of the Nankai Trough earthquake and tsunami. Next, Kimura and Aikawa propose an education program to enhance the disaster awareness of high school students who have never experienced disasters. Further, four papers deal with the issue of people’s access to scientific knowledge focusing on the roles of university institutes, including case studies of so-called open science initiatives, by Yamori, Nakamichi, and Sakamoto and Nakamichi, and finally, a comparative study of several research centers in volcanic localities by Horii et al. These studies argue for the importance of the concept of literacy for disaster resilience to embed scientific knowledge in society and interconnect theory and practice, but the study of such a concept, especially in relation to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, has just begun. We hope that this issue will encourage discussions from a wide range of scientists, experts in education and disaster management, and policy makers.