Characteristics of a disaster-resilient community
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Material Information

Title:
Characteristics of a disaster-resilient community a guidance note
Creator:
Twigg, John
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Publisher:
ProVention Consortium
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2007
Language:
English
Physical Description:
Version 1 (for field testing)

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Social impact ( lcshac )
Risk management ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )

Notes

Summary:
This document emphasizes the need to develop a common approach to monitoring and evaluating the implementation of disaster risk reduction (DRR) at the community level. It specifically outlines the characteristics of disaster-resilient communities and the various strategies for moving at-risk communities from vulnerability to resilience. While the publication acknowledges the importance of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) as a conceptual framework for national and international policy-making, it also points out the need for more work to be done in terms of its implementation at the community level. The document places particular emphasis on the necessity of building disaster-resilient communities. It sets out to define what a disaster-resilient community looks like, its basic characteristics, and indicators for determining the levels of resiliency within a particular communities. Resiliency involves the capacity to: (1) absorb the impact of stressors by either resisting or adapting to them; (2) maintain basic functions and structures when disaster occurs; and (3) recover after disaster has passed. “A focus on resilience means putting greater emphasis on what communities can do for themselves and how to strengthen their capacities, rather than concentrating on their vulnerability to disaster or their needs in an emergency” (p. 6). The document then goes on to present five thematic tables which lay out the various characteristics of a disaster-resilient community. The five thematic areas of resilience are: (1) governance; (2) risk assessment; (3) knowledge and education; (4) risk management and vulnerability reduction; and (5) disaster preparedness and response. While these elements of resilience are key areas of potential action, an enabling environment must exist to ensure that effective work can be done to strengthen these component parts of resiliency. An enabling environment is one where there is a clear consensus about the critical importance of DRR; where DRR is made a policy priority at all government levels; where there is a National DRR policy and plan for implementation; where there are local government DRR policies and plans; and where local-level officials are in congruence with established DRR goals. ( English )
Subject:
Development ( English )
Subject:
General Risk Reduction ( English )
Scope and Content:
Foreword p. 2; Abbreviations and Acronyms p. 3; Acknowledgements p. 3; Section A: Introduction and Background p. 4; 1. Introduction p. 4; 1.1 Applications p. 4; 1.2 How the guidance note is organised p. 4; 2. Key concepts p. 4; 2.1 Disaster risk reduction p. 6; 2.2 Resilience and the disaster-resilient community p. 6; 2.3 Community p. 6; Section B: Using the Tables p. 8; 1. Components of resilience p. 8; 2. Characteristics of a resilient community p. 9; 2.1 Applications p. 10; 2.2 Selecting characteristics; setting priorities p. 10; 2.3 Characteristics and indicators p. 10; 2.4 Composite characteristics p. 11; 2.5 Quantitative versus qualitative characteristics p. 11; 3. Characteristics of an enabling environment p. 11; 4. Milestones p. 12; 5. Other issues p. 14; 6. Further reading p. 15; Section C: Tables p. 17; Thematic Area 1: Governance p. 17; Thematic Area 2: Risk assessment p. 21; Thematic Area 3: Knowledge and education p. 24; Thematic Area 4: Risk management and vulnerability reduction p. 27; Thematic Area 5: Disaster preparedness and response p. 32 ( English )
Citation/Reference:
Twigg, J. (2007). Characteristics of a disaster-resilient community: a guidance note. United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) Disaster Risk Reduction Interagency Coordination Group.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042597

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction