Disaster Risk Reduction Tool Research Articles

Clean Water Mapping as a Transdisciplinary Disaster Mitigation Effort on the Mekong Riverbank: A descriptive study

On the Mekong Riverbank, clean water mapping is a commonly utilized tool for disaster risk reduction and public health promotion initiatives. The purpose of this research is to investigate the possibility of clean water mapping as a transnational catastrophe mitigation initiative. A comprehensive literature analysis will be conducted to identify existing research and data on clean water maps, disaster risk reduction, and transnational water governance on the Mekong riverbank. The semi-structured interviews reveal current challenges and opportunities associated with cleaning water mapping, disaster risk prevention, and water governance, such as technical and institutional barriers, the need for collaborative and transdisciplinary approaches, and the complexity of transboundary water governance. The qualitative data demonstrate the potential benefits of cleaning water for disaster mitigation efforts, such as identifying high-risk areas and developing early warning systems for water-related disasters, as well as having broader public health benefits beyond the context of disasters. With the proper plans and tactics in place, clean water can make a big contribution to the region's long-term growth and people's well-being.

Bushfire and Biodiversity Disaster Risk Reduction Tool: A Community-Led Values-Based Bushfire Risk Management Project with Multi-Agency Support to Develop Strategies to Protect Biodiversity and Manage Bushfire in Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria, Australia

Introduction:This Australian-first project explored residents’ values about living in one of Australia’s extreme bushfire risk areas. The project team developed the Upper Beaconsfield Bushfire and Biodiversity Tool (UPB&BT) which delivers tailored local information for residents living in the area. Designed to empower residents to make informed decisions, this user-friendly, online tool visualizes a community’s devastating bushfire history, reveals residents’ values about living in this area, and provides evidence-based actions to protect biodiversity and manage bushfire fuels on private property.Method:Structured decision-making methodology informed the survey design to elicit residents’ values about biodiversity protection and bushfire risk reduction, by inviting approximately 3000 residents to complete the survey. This community-led project applied a participatory approach by inviting collaboration between government, agencies, universities, and community representatives.Results:Key results revealed 75% of respondents valued nature and lifestyle. 51% saw bushfire risk as an important factor for managing vegetation on private land, while 65% either mow or slash to manage vegetation. Synthesized data informed the content of the UPB&BT, which sourced evidence-based knowledge or specialists’ expertise to provide tailored content and actions that met residents’ diverse values. This included the consequences of chosen actions, which helps residents understand the impact of their decisions. However, results identified confusion in roles and responsibilities.Conclusion:This ground-breaking community-led, government-funded project joined with government, agencies, universities, and community representatives to develop a new bushfire and biodiversity tool to help residents understand biodiversity protection and bushfire management in their local community. Results aim to empower residents to make their own evidence-based and informed choices about managing their properties, thereby contributing to the community good. They decide what is important and identify available actions and their potential consequences. Other communities could replicate this process to localize their own disaster risk reduction strategies.

Landslide Susceptibility Assessment Using GIS-Based Weights-of-Evidence Model in the Khimti Khola Watershed, Eastern Nepal

The Khimti Khola watershed of the Eastern Nepal experiences numerous landslides each year, pose a significant natural hazard that can cause property damage and fatalities. In mountainous areas like Nepal, an accurate evaluation of landslide hazards may be an essential tool for disaster risk reduction and the strategic planning of development initiatives. To address this concern, a landslide susceptibility assessment was conducted in the Khimti Khola watershed, which covers an area of 440 km2. The purpose of this assessment is to locate areas that are susceptible to landslides and to provide light on the factors that affect them. A total of 415 landslides were identified, covering 1.715 km2 or 0.39% of the entire study area. The assessment derived the landslide susceptibility map using the Weights-of-Evidence (WoE) model from selected conditioning factor classes that were processed in ArcGIS and categorized into five classes: Very High, High, Moderate, Low, and Very Low. Each of these classes covers 7.12%, 16.63%, 25.23%, 30.24%, and 20.78% of the total study area, respectively. According to the findings, the Khimti Khola watershed has a 33.2% landslide occurrence percentage in the high susceptibility zone, out of the total area. Additionally, the very high, moderate, low, and very low susceptibility zones cover 24.35%, 20.75%, 17.08%, and 4.62% area of the landslide occurrence, respectively. In this assessment, the Area Under Curve (AUC) is used to validate the model and is plotted using ArcSDM. Identified a total of 415 landslides, out of which 311 (75%) were used as training sample for susceptibility mapping, while the remaining 104 (25%) were used to validate. The AUC for the landslide susceptibility map is 83%, indicating a very good degree of accuracy and satisfaction. The resulting susceptibility map provides information for predicting landslide-prone areas. It can be used to minimize the risk of potential landslides, safeguard lives, and prevent property damage. It will be a vital tool for disaster preparedness, future construction planning and development projects in this area.

How Participatory is Participatory Flood Risk Mapping? Voices from the Flood Prone Dharavi Slum in Mumbai

Participatory flood risk mapping (PFRM) is a well-recognized and widely implemented tool for meaningful community involvement in disaster risk reduction (DRR). The effectiveness of PFRM remains anecdotal. The PFRM exercise has rarely been applied identically in two different places by two different organizations, which produces varied and uncertain outcomes. In the absence of any agreed and comprehensive framework for participatory DRR, existing studies struggle to provide a scientific account of how the structure, design, and process of PFRM ensure the effective participation of local communities. This study, examines what factors and methods make PFRM an effective participatory DRR tool. In this study, we first identified the process-based criteria of participation. Then we briefly introduced a participatory flood risk mapping exercise conducted in a flood-prone informal settlement in Dharavi, Mumbai. The exercise was carefully designed to meet the process criteria of effective participation. Finally, using qualitative research methods, we evaluated the effectiveness of our PFRM from the local community perspective. The findings show that ensuring community livelihood security and true involvement of marginalized groups, preparing an action plan, and incorporating fun and cultural connotations into the facilitation process are critical components that enhance community participation through PFRM in DRR.

Is health and safety legislation an effective tool for disaster risk reduction? A case study from New Zealand

Organisations are often overlooked by national disaster risk reduction efforts. By supporting organisations to be more disaster resilient, communities are more resilient. This research investigated whether New Zealand's recent legislation, the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) 2015, has co-benefits for increasing seismic risk reduction in organisations. Through interviews and surveys with New Zealand organisations, it was found that the HSWA was a key motivator for organisations to implement seismic risk reduction within the workplace. This was driven by a strong desire to protect staff and customers from earthquake impacts. However, a lack of information and guidance on how to reduce earthquake risks, especially in small and medium enterprises, was found to limit the effectiveness of this legislation as a disaster risk reduction lever. Overall, this research found that even with a safety culture present, for legislation to be successfully leveraged to reduce disaster risks in organisations, guidance is required.

Tropospheric Delay in the Neapolitan and Vesuvius Areas (Italy) by Means of a Dense GPS Array: A Contribution for Weather Forecasting and Climate Monitoring

Studying the spatiotemporal distribution and motion of water vapour (WV), the most variable greenhouse gas in the troposphere, is pivotal, not only for meteorology and climatology, but for geodesy, too. In fact, WV variability degrades, in an unpredictable way, almost all geodetic observation based on the propagation of electromagnetic signal through the atmosphere. We use data collected on a dense GPS network, designed for the purposes of monitoring the active Neapolitan (Italy) volcanoes, to retrieve the tropospheric delay parameters and precipitable water vapour (PWV). This study has two main targets: (a) the analysis of long datasets (11 years) to extract trends of climatological meaning for the region; (b) studying the main features of the time evolution of the PWV during heavy raining events to gain knowledge on the preparatory stages of highly impacting thunderstorms. For the latter target, both differential and precise point positioning (PPP) techniques are used, and the results are compared and critically discussed. An increasing trend, amounting to about 2 mm/decades, has been recognized in the PWV time series, which is in agreement with the results achieved in previous studies for the Mediterranean area. A clear topographic effect is detected for the Vesuvius volcano sector of the network and a linear relationship between PWV and altitude is quantitatively assessed. This signature must be taken into account in any modelling for the atmospheric correction of geodetic and remote-sensing data (e.g., InSAR). Characteristic temporal evolutions were recognized in the PWV in the targeted thunderstorms (which occurred in 2019 and 2020), i.e., a sharp increase a few hours before the main rain event, followed by a rapid decrease when the thunderstorm vanished. Accounting for such a peculiar trend in the PWV could be useful for setting up possible early warning systems for those areas prone to flash flooding, thus potentially providing a tool for disaster risk reduction.

Mitigating infrastructure disaster losses through asset management practices in the Middle East and North Africa region

Despite expanding infrastructure investments in developing countries, maintenance of constructed infrastructure is not keeping pace and there is a growing need to focus on the long-term operational demands of new assets to reduce vulnerability. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, natural hazards and civil conflicts continue to undermine development and disaster risk management. This research sought to examine how infrastructure asset management can reduce the impact of disasters in the MENA region. Twelve interviews were conducted with asset management and disaster risk reduction experts in the MENA region and Australia – the latter to identify transferable asset management best practices. Qualitative analysis of interviews identified regional lessons to advance asset management practice as a disaster risk reduction tool. The four main findings were: (1) asset management practice can be a proactive disaster policy; (2) there is need for appropriate levels asset management policy in the MENA region; (3) asset prioritisation improves the effectiveness of, and decision making in, risk management; and (4) whole of life consideration enables effective planning for asset management practices. In alignment with the priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, this research provides knowledge to strengthen governance to manage disaster risk in the MENA region. The research further outlines the barriers and challenges that hinder successful asset management policy implementation, as well as proposes recommendations for disaster mitigation strategies using infrastructure asset management.

Emergency nurse’s perceptions of hospital facility support and disaster preparedness

Disasters cause material losses, morbidity, and deaths. Support for the role of hospitals and health workers, especially nurses, is needed to reduce the number of victims in each disaster. Using a cross-sectional survey design, this study aims to analyze the relationship between nurse’s perceptions of hospital facility support and disaster preparedness. One hundred sixty seven respondents were selected using proportional random sampling. Disaster preparedness evaluation tool (DPET) was used to assess the participants’ readiness, and the Health Sector Self-Assessment Tool for Disaster Risk Reduction was used to assess nurse’s perceptions of hospital facility support. The final results of the analysis using the Spearman Rank test showed a significant correlation between hospital infrastructure support and emergency nurse’s preparedness in disaster preparedness with a p-value (0.00). The higher the nurse’s perceptions of hospital facility support, the higher their preparedness in disaster management is. Strengthening guidelines of disaster planning in hospitals, especially regarding the ability of hospitals to overcome the impacts of disasters, will provide optimal support for emergency nurses during a disaster crisis.

To move home or move on? Investigating the impact of recovery aid on migration status as a potential tool for disaster risk reduction in the aftermath of volcanic eruptions in Merapi, Indonesia

Disasters are associated strongly with forced migration. Indeed, migration is a standard survival strategy for those facing disruptions of this kind. Such is the case with Mt. Merapi, Indonesia, where a series of eruptions occurred in 2010. Mechanisms related to forced migration in such scenarios are fairly well understood, yet it remains less clear what factors may influence return migration. Given local interest in facilitating resettlement out of hazardous areas as a means of risk reduction, our objective in this study is to explore the extent to which recovery aid may create incentives for households to move on rather than move home. Specifically, we explore whether the influence of recovery aid varied by whether it was: financial vs. another type of aid; provided by a government agency or NGO versus a social network; and/or distributed with other types of recovery aid. We use data from a cross-sectional pilot study and multinomial logistic regression models to explore the influence of aid on migration status. Of the various forms of aid considered, financial recovery aid was consistently associated with moving on. The combination of financial recovery aid with remittances resulted in an association with having moved on that was even stronger than just receiving financial recovery aid. Ultimately, analyses of “aid packages” suggest that a combination of aid was relatively more effective in fostering resettlement, suggesting that while other forms of aid may not have been sufficient to increase resettlement by themselves, they may enhance the effect of financial recovery aid.

Participatory responses to historical flash floods and their relevance for current risk reduction: a view from a post‐communist country

Participatory responses to natural disasters are currently considered to be the primary tool for disaster risk reduction. However, the implementation of this tool in post‐communist Central European countries is constrained by the strong position of the central government and a weakened civil society as a heritage of the former communist governments. This study analyses documentary sources to reconstruct social responses to five disastrous flash flood events (1897, 1907, 1925, 1926 and 1927) in northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. The reconstruction of social responses has revealed their complexity and strong component of a participatory approach. The analysis shows that certain historical measures and approaches to recovery from flash floods can be useful for re‐establishing and reinforcing former social patterns in post‐communist transition countries in terms of strategies for disaster risk reduction.

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part IV: Competency-based Education and Training Guidelines to Promote Community Resiliency.

Twitter can be an effective tool for disaster risk reduction but gaps in education and training exist in current public health and disaster management educational competency standards. Eleven core public health and disaster management competencies are proposed that incorporate Twitter as a tool for effective disaster risk reduction. Greater funding is required to promote the education and training of this tool for those in professional schools and in the current public health and disaster management workforce.

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part II: Descriptive Analysis of Identified Twitter Activity during the 2013 Hattiesburg F4 Tornado.

Background: This article describes a novel triangulation methodological approach for identifying twitter activity of regional active twitter users during the 2013 Hattiesburg EF-4 Tornado.Methodology: A data extraction and geographically centered filtration approach was utilized to generate Twitter data for 48 hrs pre- and post-Tornado. The data was further validated using six sigma approach utilizing GPS data. Results: The regional analysis revealed a total of 81,441 tweets, 10,646 Twitter users, 27,309 retweets and 2637 tweets with GPS coordinates.Conclusions: Twitter tweet activity increased 5 fold during the response to the Hattiesburg Tornado. Retweeting activity increased 2.2 fold. Tweets with a hashtag increased 1.4 fold. Twitter was an effective disaster risk reduction tool for the Hattiesburg EF-4 Tornado 2013.

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part I: Introduction, Terminology, Research and Operational Applications.

Twitter, a popular communications platform, is identified as contributing to improved mortality and morbidity outcomes resulting from the 2013 Hattiesburg, Mississippi EF-4 Tornado. This study describes the methodology by which Twitter was investigated as a potential disaster risk reduction and management tool at the community level and the process by which the at-risk population was identified from the broader Twitter user population. By understanding how various factors contribute to the superspreading of messages, one can better optimize Twitter as an essential communications and risk reduction tool. This study introduces Parts II, III and IV which further define the technological and scientific knowledge base necessary for developing future competency base curriculum and content for Twitter assisted disaster management education and training at the community level.

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part III: Evaluating Variables that Promoted Regional Twitter Use for At-risk Populations During the 2013 Hattiesburg F4 Tornado

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part III: Evaluating Variables that Promoted Regional Twitter Use for At-risk Populations During the 2013 Hattiesburg F4 Tornado

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part I: Introduction, Terminology, Research and Operational Applications

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part I: Introduction, Terminology, Research and Operational Applications

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part III: Evaluating Variables that Promoted Regional Twitter Use for At-risk Populations During the 2013 Hattiesburg F4 Tornado.

Introduction: Study goals attempt to identify the variables most commonly associated with successful tweeted messages and determine which variables have the most influence in promoting exponential dissemination of information (viral spreading of the message) and trending (becoming popular) in the given disaster affected region.Methods: Part II describes the detailed extraction and triangulation filtration methodological approach to acquiring twitter data for the 2013 Hattiesburg Tornado. The data was then divided into two 48 hour windows before and after the tornado impact with a 2 hour pre-tornado buffer to capture tweets just prior to impact. Criteria-based analysis was completed for Tweets and users. The top 100 pre-Tornado and post-Tornado retweeted users were compared to establish the variability among the top retweeted users during the 4 day span. Results: Pre-Tornado variables that were correlated to higher retweeted rates include total user tweets (0.324), and total times message retweeted (0.530). Post-Tornado variables that were correlated to higher retweeted rates include total hashtags in a retweet (0.538) and hashtags #Tornado (0.378) and #Hattiesburg (0.254). Overall hashtags usage significantly increased during the storm. Pre-storm there were 5,763 tweets with a hashtag and post-storm there was 13,598 using hashtags.Conclusions: Twitter’s unique features allow it to be considered a unique social media tool applicable for emergency managers and public health officials for rapid and accurate two way communication. Additionally, understanding how variables can be properly manipulated plays a key role in understanding how to use this social media platform for effective, accurate, and rapid mass information communication.

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part II: Descriptive Analysis of Identified Twitter Activity during the 2013 Hattiesburg F4 Tornado

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part II: Descriptive Analysis of Identified Twitter Activity during the 2013 Hattiesburg F4 Tornado

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part IV: Competency-based Education and Training Guidelines to Promote Community Resiliency

Twitter as a Potential Disaster Risk Reduction Tool. Part IV: Competency-based Education and Training Guidelines to Promote Community Resiliency

Recognizing Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Management: Smong, Early Warning System from Simeulue Island, Aceh

A 9.1M earthquake occurred in Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004 and caused tsunami disaster that devastated many areas in Asian and African countries. Aceh Province, the closest areas from the epicenter, received huge impacts. With no early warning system, poor disaster management, not enough knowledge about tsunami disaster and the huge scale of disaster impacts, it caused a high number of victims. Death toll reached 200,000 people; while in Simeulue Island, the victims were only 7 people from 78,000 of the total population (2000). The story of Smong (means “tsunami in” Devayan Language) that inherited from generation to generation since 1907 saved the Simeulueans. Smong naturally becomes an early warning system anytime earthquakes occur in this island. In other parts of Aceh in Sumatra, stories and messages about tsunami that occurred in the past can be found in some oral literatures, poems and songs; but the community did not recognize them and those cannot be used as Disaster Risk Reduction tool. Indigenous knowledge can be a powerful tool for disaster risk reduction; but, without recognition and utilization, it is merely a part of common things in community. The aim of this research was how to capitalize indigenous knowledge in order to improve disaster management and reduce the risk through the community based on success story of Smong Simeulue. Recognized indigenous knowledge should be adaptable, transferable and modified according to the community and environment conditions. Empowering local community to recognize valuable Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risks Reduction can improve the future of Human Security. This preliminary research was conducted by learning from Smong success story through the media, literatures and interview. To keep sustainability of Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risks Reduction, a combination of local knowledge with new technology will be very useful.

The Reality and Dilemma in Using Community Risk Assessment as a Disaster Risk Reduction Tool in Ghana

The purpose of the paper is to introduce qualitative methods as providing unique and critical contributions for developing risk reduction strategies at the local level. It summarises the principles and practices in study design, data collection and analysis and presents a synthesis of standards for ensuring rigor and enhancing credibility in qualitative research. The methodology involves a comprehensive literature review, which culled information from risk reduction research-related fields and years of field research experience. The findings reveal how the method can be used to understand complex social processes and capture more nuanced aspects of a phenomenon through the lens of the study community. Such qualitative studies are often exploratory and seek to generate novel insights using inductive rather than deductive approaches. They help uncover the beliefs, values, and motivations that underlie participants’ actions and behaviours, which are crucial in implementing DRR strategies at the local level. Disaster risk reduction research seeks to inform the development and evaluation of policy guidelines that foster effective interventions and these aspects of risks may be most appropriately examined using the qualitative research methods.