A critical review of social resilience assessment frameworks in disaster management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for evaluation and ranking of potential surrogates to select the optimum surrogates and test it for five selected social resilience indicators in a disaster context. Innovative resilience assessment approaches are required to capture key facets of resilience indicators to deepen the understanding of social resilience. Surrogates can adequately represent the target indicator that is difficult to measure, as surrogates are defined as key facets of a target indicator. Design/methodology/approach To optimize the selection of surrogates, five key evaluation criteria were used. Disaster management experts completed an online survey questionnaire and evaluated three potential surrogate options. Surrogates were then ranked using PROMETHEE, a multi-experts multi-criteria group decision analysis technique. Findings A framework was devised to evaluate and rank potential surrogates to assess social resilience in a disaster context. The findings revealed that the first ranked surrogate can be the most critical facet of a resilience indicator of measure. In most instances, highly experienced cohort of practitioners and policy makers have aligned their preferences of surrogates with the overall ranking of surrogates obtained in this study. Research limitations/implications The surrogate approach can also be tested in different disaster and geographic contexts. The resilience indicators used in this study to explore surrogates are largely applicable in all contexts. However, the preference of surrogates may also vary in different contexts. Practical implications Once the surrogate is selected through an evaluation process proposed in this paper, the resilience status can be updated regularly with the help of the selected surrogate. The first ranked surrogate for each of the social resilience indicator can be applied, since the findings revealed that the first ranked surrogate can be the most critical facet in the context of the social resilience indicator being measured. Social implications The framework and the selection of optimal surrogates will assist to overcome the conceptual and methodical challenges of social resilience assessment. The applicability of selected surrogates by practitioners and policymakers in disaster management will play a vital role in resilience investment decision-making at the community level. Originality/value The surrogate approach has been used in the fields of ecology and clinical medicine to overcome the challenges in measuring difficult to measure indicators. The use of surrogates in this study to measure social resilience indicators in a disaster context is innovative, which was not yet explored in resilience measurement in disaster management. Graphical abstract

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Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management in the Caribbean

Emergency and Disaster Management ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-6195-8.ch006 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 89-118

Author(s):

Gaius Eudoxie ◽

Ronald Roopnarine

Keyword(s):

Natural Disasters ◽

Disaster Management ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Economic Status ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Social Resilience ◽

Resource Base ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Natural Resource Base

Caribbean countries share unique features such as small size, geographical location, limited natural resources, low economic status aligned with ambitious developmental agendas, all of which influences their vulnerability to natural disasters. Agriculture and tourism are the main economic drivers for Caribbean states. Notably, both these sectors are highly prone to natural disasters. Other sectors including forestry, biodiversity, coastal resources and inland water resources are also susceptible to climatic hazards. The eroding natural resource base aligned to these sectors demands appropriate management. Risk assessment is integral in planning and preparing for natural hazards. Several methods have been used in the Caribbean with varying success. Two successful examples are the Land Degradation Assessment (LADA) conducted in Grenada and the Landslide Mapping in Trinidad. The LADA project geospatially quantified the extent of land degradation and presented data in support of natural resource management. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) was a milestone establishment for regional disaster management. Introduction and implementation of the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) strategy transformed disaster management from simply response and recovery, to include preparedness, prevention and mitigation. This approach included the appointment of national focal points in all participating countries, a feature that aimed to build and improve communication channels. Whilst mostly positive, the present approach has also showcased limitations to long term sustainability. Most islands lack effective governance structures with a dedicated budget to disaster management and where available, activities are centrally operated. Improving social resilience through community engagement is seen as critical to the success of CDM. Social media has also been shown to add real value to networking and communication in disaster management.

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Big Data for Community Resilience Assessment: A Critical Review of Selected Global Tools

Proceedings of the 24th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate ◽

10.1007/978-981-15-8892-1_94 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1345-1361

Author(s):

Mohammed Abdul-Rahman ◽

Edwin H. W. Chan ◽

X. Li ◽

Man Sing Wong ◽

Pengpeng Xu

Keyword(s):

Big Data ◽

Critical Review ◽

Community Resilience ◽

Resilience Assessment

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Surrogate approach to assess social resilience in disaster management

10.5204/thesis.eprints.198048 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Abdul Majeed Aslam Saja

Keyword(s):

Disaster Management ◽

Social Resilience

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A Critical Review of Social Resilience Properties and Pathways in Disaster Management

International Journal of Disaster Risk Science ◽

10.1007/s13753-021-00378-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

A. M. Aslam Saja ◽

Melissa Teo ◽

Ashantha Goonetilleke ◽

Abdul M. Ziyath

Keyword(s):

Disaster Management ◽

Social Systems ◽

Historical Case Study ◽

Social Resilience ◽

Research Gaps ◽

Historical Case ◽

Complex Dimensions ◽

Causal Pathway ◽

Adaptive Resilience

AbstractResilience as a concept is multi-faceted with complex dimensions. In a disaster context, there is lack of consistency in conceptualizing social resilience. This results in ambiguity of its definition, properties, and pathways for assessment. A number of key research gaps exist for critically reviewing social resilience conceptualization, projecting resilience properties in a disaster-development continuum, and delineating a resilience trajectory in a multiple disaster timeline. This review addressed these research gaps by critically reviewing social resilience definitions, properties, and pathways. The review found four variations in social resilience definitions, which recognize the importance of abilities of social systems and processes in disaster phases at different levels. A review of resilience properties and pathways in the disaster resilience literature suggested new resilience properties—“risk-sensitivity” and “regenerative” in the timeline of two consecutive disasters. This review highlights a causal pathway for social resilience to better understand the resilience status in a multi-shock scenario by depicting inherent and adaptive resilience for consecutive disaster scenarios and a historical case study for a resilience trajectory in a multiple disaster timeline. The review findings will assist disaster management policymakers and practitioners to formulate appropriate resilience enhancement strategies within a holistic framework in a multi-disaster timeline.

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Collective Strategies and Windfall Catches: Fisher Responses to Tsunami Relief Efforts in South India

Transforming Cultures eJournal ◽

10.5130/tfc.v3i2.923 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Maarten Bavinck

Keyword(s):

Disaster Management ◽

Fisheries Management ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

South India ◽

Active Role ◽

Collective Agency ◽

Social Resilience ◽

Fishing Villages ◽

Relief Efforts

To the surprise of both governments and NGOs, village-level caste organisations – or panchayats - played a significant role in the post-tsunami relief effort to fisher-men in Tamil Nadu, India. This paper discusses the pro-active role of caste pancha-yats in relief from the perspective of social resilience, a factor that is frequently ar-gued to be of importance for disaster management. It presents panchayat action as an expression of collective agency that has a long tradition in the fishing villages of the region. Finally, comparing the reactions of caste panchayats in the post-tsunami situation with their performance in other instances of collective need, it considers their future role in fields such as fisheries management.

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Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management in the Caribbean

Climate Change and Environmental Concerns ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5487-5.ch019 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 354-382

Author(s):

Gaius Eudoxie ◽

Ronald Roopnarine

Keyword(s):

Natural Disasters ◽

Disaster Management ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Economic Status ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Social Resilience ◽

Resource Base ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Natural Resource Base

Caribbean countries share unique features such as small size, geographical location, limited natural resources, low economic status aligned with ambitious developmental agendas, all of which influences their vulnerability to natural disasters. Agriculture and tourism are the main economic drivers for Caribbean states. Notably, both these sectors are highly prone to natural disasters. Other sectors including forestry, biodiversity, coastal resources and inland water resources are also susceptible to climatic hazards. The eroding natural resource base aligned to these sectors demands appropriate management. Risk assessment is integral in planning and preparing for natural hazards. Several methods have been used in the Caribbean with varying success. Two successful examples are the Land Degradation Assessment (LADA) conducted in Grenada and the Landslide Mapping in Trinidad. The LADA project geospatially quantified the extent of land degradation and presented data in support of natural resource management. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) was a milestone establishment for regional disaster management. Introduction and implementation of the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) strategy transformed disaster management from simply response and recovery, to include preparedness, prevention and mitigation. This approach included the appointment of national focal points in all participating countries, a feature that aimed to build and improve communication channels. Whilst mostly positive, the present approach has also showcased limitations to long term sustainability. Most islands lack effective governance structures with a dedicated budget to disaster management and where available, activities are centrally operated. Improving social resilience through community engagement is seen as critical to the success of CDM. Social media has also been shown to add real value to networking and communication in disaster management.

Download Full-text