Place Matters: Exploring Socio-Spatial Influences on Disaster Recovery

A special issue of GeoHazards (ISSN 2624-795X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 8926

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Public Administration, Sustainable Coastal Systems Cluster & National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
Interests: disaster equity; social vulnerability; hazard zone delineation; differential disaster recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Public Administration and National Center for Integrated Coastal Research, University of Central Floridadisabled, Orlando, FL, USA
Interests: disaster modeling; spatial statistics; social vulnerability; hazard and risk analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past decade, disaster recovery processes have received increasing attention from local, state, and federal entities interested in improving community resilience in the wake of disasters. Planning for recovery presents many challenges, including (among others) how to best monitor and measure disaster impacts, how to address the needs of vulnerable populations, how different  perceptions of recovery (for whom and from what) influence recovery outcomes, and how planning for recovery influences its pace and progression. Recent progress in pre-event recovery planning has enabled emergency managers, planners, and decision-makers to focus more on the process itself, including specifying desirable outcomes and tracking more recovery elements. Consideration of differential recoveries based on underlying socio-economic, physical, environmental, and cultural difference has further confounded the important task understanding the pace and progression from disaster back to ‘normalcy’. Inequities in preparedness, response, and recovery from disasters are still apparent in disaster stricken areas. Identifying how differential recoveries manifest across different hazard contexts can help us learn how to build back better and develop solutions for more equitable disaster recoveries. The aim of this Special Issue is to illuminate ongoing challenges and showcase successes in disaster recovery, especially in terms of impacts and outcomes for the most vulnerable in our society. Those manuscripts accounting for place and space are especially encouraged, but any manuscript providing new insights into diverse and differential disaster recoveries—both in terms of recovery as a process and an end point—are welcomed.

Dr. Christopher Emrich
Dr. Bradley Wilson
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Differential disaster recovery
  • Social determinants
  • Equity
  • Sociospatial analysis
  • Recovery planning

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2829 KiB  
Article
Modelling the Roles of Community-Based Organisations in Post-Disaster Transformative Adaptation
by Oluwadunsin Ajulo, Ishmael Adams, Ali Asgary, Patrick Tang and Jason Von-Meding
GeoHazards 2022, 3(2), 178-198; https://doi.org/10.3390/geohazards3020010 - 11 Apr 2022
Viewed by 3492
Abstract
Disasters result where hazards and vulnerabilities intersect. The concept of vulnerability itself is mainly a social construct and the extent to which this can be overcome while transforming disaster-prone systems has often been emphasised in the critical hazard literature. However, the extent to [...] Read more.
Disasters result where hazards and vulnerabilities intersect. The concept of vulnerability itself is mainly a social construct and the extent to which this can be overcome while transforming disaster-prone systems has often been emphasised in the critical hazard literature. However, the extent to which community-based organisations contribute to post-disaster transformation at the community level remains unexamined. This paper is aimed at examining the extent of the role of community-based organisations (CBOs) in the transformative adaptation of post-earthquake Lyttelton. Quantitative data was obtained from community members using a questionnaire survey of 107 respondents, supporting interviews, and secondary data to explain the phenomenon in this study. System dynamics and agent-based modelling tools were applied to analyse the data. The results show that while CBOs played a major role in Lyttelton’s transformation by fostering collaboration, innovation, and awareness, the extent of their impact was determined by differences in their adaptive capacities. The transformation was influenced by the impacts of community initiatives that were immediate, during, and a long time after the disaster recovery activities in the community. Our research extends the discourse on the role of community-based organisations in disaster recovery by highlighting the extent of CBOs’ impacts in community post-disaster transformation. Full article
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17 pages, 2116 KiB  
Article
Improving Community Resilience and Emergency Plans by Mapping Risk and Preparedness at the Neighborhood Scale
by Yaron Finzi, Noam Ganz, Yoash Limon and Sebastian Langer
GeoHazards 2021, 2(2), 120-136; https://doi.org/10.3390/geohazards2020007 - 4 Jun 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4485
Abstract
People living in areas of significant seismic risk seldom undertake sufficient preparations to safeguard their families. This is most problematic in remote communities such as those along the Dead Sea Fault, Israel, where self-reliance is a key factor in coping with disasters. To [...] Read more.
People living in areas of significant seismic risk seldom undertake sufficient preparations to safeguard their families. This is most problematic in remote communities such as those along the Dead Sea Fault, Israel, where self-reliance is a key factor in coping with disasters. To facilitate individual and familial involvement in earthquake preparedness in remote areas, we designed a tool for self-assessment of risk and preparedness. The personalized risk assessment is based on national hazard and building standards, and on personal input regarding structure characteristics. The risk and preparedness evaluations enhance awareness and provide immediate feedback to help users improve familial preparedness. The spatial analysis of the data collected is used to form high-resolution maps that expose specific challenges for emergency responses. A study conducted in the town of Mitzpe Ramon exposed neighborhoods with a relatively high risk of damage and low preparedness. Integrating these results with seasonal stress-factors such as peak tourism and extreme weather, provides new and important insights into the ability of the local community and emergency forces to cope with multihazard situations. An analysis of the heterogeneous distribution of expected hardship within a community should be implemented worldwide to improve risk mitigation. Full article
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