Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Why Getting People To Write An Emergency Plan May Not Be The Best Approach, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

Many government agencies and not-for-profit emergency organisations throughout the world encourage those community members and businesses at risk to write disaster survival or emergency plans. In Australia, community flood education and engagement programs such as FloodSafe promote the preparation of home and business emergency plans. In some cases, agencies use the writing of these plans as an indicator of community preparedness. There has been little research conducted into the efficacy of personal or business emergency plans, although there is evidence to show that business damages could be reduced by having an emergency plan. On the other hand, some social research …

Livelihood Resilience: Preparing For Sustainable Transformations In The Face Of Climate Change, Thomas Tanner, David Lewis, David Wrathall, Saleemul Huq, Chris Lawless, Raphael Nawrotzki, Vivik Prasad, Md Ashiqur Rahman, Ryan Alaniz, Robin Bronen, Katherine King, Karen Mcnamara, Md Nadiruzzaman, Sarah Henley-Shepard, Frank Thomalla

Ryan C. Alaniz

The resilience concept requires greater attention to human livelihoods if it is to address the limits to adaptation strategies and the development needs of the planet’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Although the concept of resilience is increasingly informing research and policy, its transfer from ecological theory to social systems leads to weak engagement with normative, social and political dimensions of climate change adaptation. A livelihood perspective helps to strengthen resilience thinking by placing greater emphasis on human needs and their agency, empowerment and human rights, and considering adaptive livelihood systems in the context of wider transformational changes.

The Use Of Social Media In Countrywide Disaster Risk Reduction Public Awareness Strategies, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

Social media has been used extensively in recent disasters by emergency managers particularly to warn people and help in the co-ordination of response and recovery. However, its use in disaster prevention and preparedness is less understood. This article examines the use of social media in disaster risk reduction (DRR) awareness strategies around the world through a literature review and expert opinion. It concludes that it is generally underutilised in major DRR awareness strategies, although there are robust programs operating in some countries with high social media use.

Disaster Law And Policy, Daniel Farber, Jim Chen, Robert Verchick, Lisa Grow Sun

Daniel A Farber