This study aims to explore the Early Warning System (EWS) with a particular focus on the needs and roles of women in the context of Bangladesh. Because of its geographic location, the country has been experiencing impacts of cyclones every year. While EWS in Bangladesh is well-developed, literature indicates that receiving and understanding early warnings by women compared to men is largely ignored. This empirical study was conducted at a cyclone-prone area located in the Southern coast of Bangladesh. The findings of this study show that the existing EWS is not yet gender sensitive. Women face difficulties in accessing and receiving early warning messages from formal channels. The messages they receive are often fragmented and therefore difficult to understand. This study also clearly explores that women face distinct challenges in accessing, receiving, interpreting, and understanding the early cyclone messages compared to men. Based on key findings, this study suggests that early warning for cyclones needs to be tailored according to the specific needs and roles of women.
Community-based approaches are vital for effective disaster risk management. However, sustaining public engagement remains a persistent challenge, and stronger evidence on how to do so is still needed. To enrich this knowledge, we conducted a nationwide survey of 14,570 individuals across 335 Chinese prefectures to evaluate how training formats and incentives influence willingness to participate (WTP) in community disaster risk reduction programmes. Using a 2 & times; 2 factorial design, we manipulated the training format (lecture vs. CPR practice) and reward type (certificate vs. emergency kit) as the predicting variables. The results demonstrate that participation is the highest for CPR training paired with an emergency kit. Notably, we identified a significant interaction effect that material reward (emergency kit) disproportionately boosted WTP for passive formats (lecture), whereas non-material reward (certificate) was more effective for practical sessions (CPR). These findings demonstrate that strategically matching training formats to complementary rewards can substantially enhance public engagement and ultimately strengthen community resilience.
This article argues that vulnerability is the primary determinant of disaster risk, challenging hazard-centred and climate-deterministic explanations that dominate public policy and research discourse. Drawing on the VulneraCity database and supplementary political ecology scholarship, it distils ten core drivers of vulnerability and organises them within the Vulnerability Dimensionscape, a three-layered framework comprising structural foundations, mediating systems, and lived conditions. The framework consolidates vulnerability research by showing how political economy, governance, territorial processes, environmental change, infrastructure, and cultural dynamics interact to produce uneven risk outcomes. It conceptualises climate change as a stressor that reconfigures existing socio-political conditions and intensifies systemic and cascading risks. Methodologically, the study develops a relational synthesis that identifies patterns of co-occurrence and interaction among vulnerability drivers across domains. The findings demonstrate that vulnerability is historically produced, structurally embedded, and relationally organised, with direct implications for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation. The Dimensionscape provides an analytical framework for diagnosing vulnerability by tracing interactions among domains, supporting comparative analysis, interdisciplinary research, and more integrated policy approaches focused on structural drivers of risk.
This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Filipinos who grew up in flood-prone communities and evacuation centres, focusing on how they make sense of resilience amid chronic exposure to disasters. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the study revealed that resilience in this context is not an inherent personal trait, but a dynamic, socially embedded process shaped by communal solidarity, faith, and necessity. Participants described resilience as both empowering and burdensome, negotiating fatigue amid systemic neglect. The recurring phrase 'sanay na kami' ('we're used to it') encapsulated the normalization of hardship, where endurance becomes a cultural expectation rather than a free choice. While acts of bayanihan, humour, and spirituality sustained collective survival, these same mechanisms also masked emotional exhaustion and the absence of structural support. The findings highlight 'forced resilience' as a defining feature of life in flood-prone communities, reframing resilience as a moral and political condition rather than mere individual strength. The study calls for policies that move beyond celebrating endurance toward addressing the social and infrastructural inequities that make resilience a necessity rather than an option.
Public demand for and use of smartphone applications for disaster risk management is rising. Provided by government, NGOs and private commercial enterprises, these digital tools are considered vital for public preparedness. We systematically identified English-language applications focusing on natural hazards available for public download. A custom program developed to search Google Play store and Apple App Store for applications on geophysical, meteorological, hydrological, and climatological hazards identified 322 applications in May 2023. While 12% of applications are 'all-hazard', the majority focus on a single hazard, most frequently earthquake, wildfire, and storm. Most applications prioritise information delivery for emergency response, with only a small proportion addressing preparation, mitigation, or recovery, thereby limiting their capacity to support proactive risk reduction and sustained preparedness. 85% of applications were provided by private commercial enterprises. A detailed case study of applications for wildfire preparedness shows that while many applications provide one-way information, very few offer two-way interaction, neglecting community knowledge.
Misinterpretations of Islamic teachings concerning disasters persist in some communities, particularly in conflating predestination (qadar) and fatalism. Such misunderstandings often foster passive attitudes that discourage proactive disaster risk reduction. In Islamic thought, predestination affirms divine decree alongside human responsibility, whereas fatalism assumes inevitability without human intervention. This study examines disaster education from an Islamic perspective by clarifying this conceptual distinction and exploring how Islamic education shapes beliefs and values related to disaster preparedness. Using a qualitative literature-based approach, the study analyses primary Islamic sources Qur'an (the primary sacred text of Islam) and Hadith (recorded sayings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad) and scholarly literature on religion, education, and disaster studies. The study proposes a novel conceptual framework that delineates the transition from theological fatalism to proactive agency through the integration of Al-'Ilm (knowledge), Ikhtiyar (effort), and Tawakkul (trust). Findings indicate that Islamic teachings encourage knowledge acquisition, human effort, and ethical responsibility, rather than passive resignation. Fatalistic beliefs reduce engagement in disaster preparedness, while a proper understanding of predestination promotes active participation and collective responsibility.
Floods are among the most frequent and destructive natural hazards globally, making effective risk communication essential for reducing disaster impacts. This study examines the characteristics of flood risk communication in high-risk communities of District Swat, Pakistan. The objective is to identify how flood risk information is communicated, focusing on message sources, channels, clarity, timeliness, and perceived reliability. Using data from household surveys conducted with 476 respondents in selected flood-prone areas, including government alerts, community announcements, interpersonal exchanges, and social media platforms. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and index-based methods to compare flood risk communication across urban and rural areas. The findings reveal that informal networks and digital platforms play a central role in the rapid dissemination of information. The results further indicate that urban areas and communities located farther from the river exhibit more effective flood risk communication in terms of clarity, timeliness, and consistency compared to rural and river-adjacent areas. Variations in message clarity, frequency, and in the accuracy and consistency of communications were observed across the community. These results provide a grounded understanding of existing communication patterns and offer practical insights for strengthening local flood risk communication strategies in similarly vulnerable communities worldwide.
Climatic variability exerts persistent pressure on farming systems, particularly in regions where production relies heavily on rainfall. In Australia's semi-arid wheat belt, these pressures have historically manifested as severe drought seasons, yet micro-scale evidence of how farmers adapted over time remains limited. Using the Pressure-and-Release framework, this study analyses the long-term historical patterns of exposure and adaptive capacity in wheat-farming communities in the Victorian Mallee between 1920 and 1955. We draw on a unique dataset produced by agricultural field officers, whose parish-level surveys constitute the first reliable micro-historical record of farming practices for this region. The study integrates descriptive analysis with several statistical models to capture nonlinear hazard-response associative relationships. It examines how farmers adjusted land use, labour inputs, and mechanisation strategies across successive drought and non-drought years. Results show that production outcomes were highly sensitive to rainfall fluctuations until the mid-1940s, after which mechanisation, particularly tractor adoption, substantially reduced average climatic vulnerability. These results demonstrate how technological change reconfigured vulnerability pathways. The study develops a modern analytical methodology for micro-historical hazard data to reveal multi-decadal adaptation processes in semi-arid agricultural systems. The findings offer insights for contemporary drought-risk governance in regions of climatic stress during periods of technological changes.
Agricultural insurance stands out as an important risk management tool capable of minimising losses arising from the occurrence of accidents, contributing to the resilience of rural farmers. This research aimed to analyse the panorama of developing patents within the scope of the agricultural insurance market. The search was conducted in the Questel Orbit patent records database based on previously established parameters. This resulted in a final portfolio composed of 104 patent families. The results were grouped into records into three blocks subdivided into categories: (i) commercialisation: product creation; contracting and underwriting; and pricing; (ii) management: risk management; and (iii) claims indemnities: identification of losses; inspections; and claims regulation. It was also identified that the first patent deposit registration under the scope of the investigation was made in 1994 and gradually intensified, especially over the 2017 to 2023. The China has the largest number of patents registered, corresponding to 72.81% of the investigated portfolio. Considering the greater dependence on the adoption of agricultural insurance in contemporary agricultural production due to environmental pressures, our study addressed in a unique and in-depth way the technological innovations found in this area of knowledge to mitigate the economic risks to which farmers are subjects.
This study proposes a socio-politically sensitive and community-oriented approach for understanding and assessing the building of community resilience to natural disasters, suggesting a corrective to two common drawbacks in the literature: an excessively engineering-technical understanding of community resilience and widespread methodological individualism. The study demonstrates how this approach can be applied through a comparative analysis of two nearly identical Indigenous communes in Taiwan, Cinsbu ((sic)(sic)(sic)) and Singaw ((sic)(sic)), both of which are vulnerable to landslides. Through this comparative analysis, the study formulates two contrasting modes of community resilience - 'self-contained resilience' and 'city-connected resilience' - which are conditioned by the distance between the Indigenous commune and the closest nearby city. The mode of resilience interacts reciprocally with communal subjectivity. In Cinsbu, strong communal subjectivity and self-contained resilience reinforce one another, generating high levels of voluntary participation but also resistance to top-down directives. In Singaw, weaker communal subjectivity and city-connected resilience form a mutually reinforcing cycle of dependence and compliance.
Disaster management policy often privileges quantifiable impacts, yet non-economic losses and damages (NELDs) profoundly shape human and community well-being. This study examines NELDs in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe, following Cyclone Idai, across four domains: (1) loss of life and health; (2) loss of place, belonging, and cultural identity; (3) disruption of social networks and collective memory; and (4) psychological and spiritual well-being. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines longitudinal ethnographic inquiry, in-depth qualitative interviews, and document analysis, the study explores the intangible, socially embedded, and culturally mediated dimensions of loss and damage that extend beyond material destruction. The findings reveal that extreme climate events generate significant emotional burdens and reshape social, cultural, and spiritual systems through which communities sustain collective life. By placing NELDs at the centre of analysis, the study advances a justice-centred approach to loss and damage, emphasising the need to embed distributional, procedural, and recognition justice in research and practice. Methodologically, longitudinal ethnography captures slow, complex, and culturally embedded losses, generating the nuanced insights necessary to inform context-sensitive policies and disaster governance that honour human dignity, cultural integrity, and social cohesion.
The current study examines Hurricane Helene's inland flooding in Southern Appalachia to generate understanding into flood exposure, health outcomes, and long-term recovery needs. Using a mixed-methods case study design that combined county-level geospatial analysis with a community survey (N = 700), the objectives were threefold: (1) to map flood exposure and vulnerability across rural and urban areas in the region, (2) identify the physical and mental health impacts of Helene flooding and risk and protective factors influencing these outcomes, and (3) describe unmet needs five months post-disaster. Geospatial analyses identified county areas that faced flood inundation, damaged landscapes, road closures, population density, and heightened social vulnerability. Quantitative survey results found county impact, exposure to environmental contaminants (e.g. visible mould, sewage, contaminated water), flood event exposure (e.g. injury, losses), and post-flood stressors were associated with adverse health. Qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses identified four main themes of unmet needs five months post-disaster, including: health, housing and shelter, financial, and community infrastructure. These findings provide comprehensive insights into Helene's flood exposure, associated health outcomes, and recovery challenges, highlighting the multifaceted health, social, and infrastructural impacts of hurricane-induced flooding in Southern Appalachia.
Changes in climate are triggering extreme weather events, including floods that impact millions of people. Among the most vulnerable are informal settlements located in flood-prone areas. The current study addresses a knowledge gap regarding the individual and collective adaptation strategies undertaken in the absence of government support. We focus on Culvert Community, an informal settlement in Freetown, Sierra Leone, that has experienced recurrent flooding for several decades, in large part due to blockages caused by ineffective municipal solid waste management. We apply the PARA (Protect, Accommodate, Retreat, Avoid) framework to analyse residents' adaptation strategies to reduce their exposure and vulnerability to flooding. Interview and focus group participants focused on adaptation strategies categorised as protection and accommodation that allow them to remain in their community. For the most part, protection strategies involve collective action, whereas accommodation strategies are undertaken by individual households. In addition, residents identified economic, sociocultural, and governance factors that influence their selection of adaptation strategies. Our study demonstrates use of the PARA framework as a lens to analyse the selection of adaptation strategies, and deepens our understanding of how climate adaptation is shaped by complex factors, particularly in the context of informal settlements.
Understanding how disaster risk is evolving is critical at a time when climate change, fragile governance, and social inequality continue to shape vulnerability worldwide. This study draws on the World Risk Index dataset covering 181 countries from 2011 to 2021 and extends the analysis through forecasts up to 2030. The findings show that while exposure to natural hazards such as floods, droughts, and cyclones has remained relatively stable, vulnerability tells a different story. Over the past decade, modest improvements have been made in susceptibility, reflecting gains in health and infrastructure, but coping and adaptive capacities remain uneven and fragile. To explore future trajectories, we applied two complementary forecasting models: ARIMA, which captures stable long-term trends, and LSTM, which identifies more complex non-linear shifts. The projections diverge. These results highlight a critical challenge: global averages may suggest progress, but the underlying reality is one of polarisation. Unless urgent measures are taken to reinforce coping and adaptive capacities in vulnerable regions, disaster risk reduction in the next decade may deepen inequalities rather than resolve them.
Understanding cultural factors and perceptions is essential for effective disaster risk reduction. This study examines flood risk perception in Indonesian urban communities, using survey data from 1,200 participants in Bima, Pontianak, and Manado. Path analysis examined the relationships among cultural beliefs, awareness, worry, and preparedness. Results show participants believed flood losses could be reduced, but fatalistic attribution, like luck, fate, or divine will, remained influential and varied by city. Increased awareness of floods and climate change raised worry but decreased preparedness, indicating that too much concern can hinder action. Preparedness was best driven by moderate worry about community risks; personal worry often reduced proactive efforts. These findings reveal a non-linear relationship among awareness, worry, and preparedness, shaped by cultural perceptions and perceived control, in which heightened awareness can paradoxically reduce preparedness when it generates excessive worry. This challenges the information-centred risk communication model prevalent in disaster management practice, which assumes a linear progression from awareness to action. Instead, the results underscore the need for culturally and religiously attuned, action-oriented interventions that strengthen collective efficacy through visible community engagement and provide practical, achievable preparedness pathways rather than relying on awareness alone.
This study aims to improve disaster preparedness evaluation in Indonesia by using a simple and measurable quantitative approach. Data from five sample regions were analysed using a linear method, focusing on five critical aspects: knowledge, policy, preparedness plans, disaster warning systems, and resource mobilisation. Preparedness levels were categorised into basic (0-49), growing (50-69), developing (70-89), and independent (90-100). The results show that only one region achieved a high level of preparedness with a score of 4.68 points, while the other four regions fell into the basic and growing categories, with scores ranging from 0.68 to 2.73 points. The study identifies challenges such as limited community involvement, difficulty in assessing non-physical disaster impacts, and resource constraints. These findings underscore the need for targeted strategies to strengthen community engagement, refine non-physical impact assessments, and allocate resources more effectively. By providing a straightforward evaluation framework, this study offers practical recommendations to enhance the Disaster Preparedness Area program and support broader disaster risk reduction efforts in Indonesia.
This article examines the barriers and opportunities of the initiative of the Climate Village Programme (ProKlim), a climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCAM) integration programme at the community level, introduced in Aceh, Indonesia, less than a decade after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. As an adaptation programme, ProKlim focused on reducing the risk of four climate-related hazards: floods, storms, heat stress, and sea-level rise. The study utilised key stakeholder interviews (N = 38) and policy content analysis in three case villages within Banda Aceh city. It examines the formal policy frameworks, cultural and religious mechanisms, as a hybrid approach to sustaining CCAM. The hypothetical barriers to CCAM include the absence of a sustained mechanism for effective flood adaptation, insufficient resources for supporting adaptive urban agriculture practices, the absence of storm-related building codes for housing and infrastructure, lack of community participation, and inadequate integration of scientific and local knowledge into early warning systems. While ProKlim is recognised as the innovative programme, challenges remained. Past disaster events are viewed as distant memories, hindering local authorities and residents from remaining proactive in risk reduction efforts, including a lack of maintenance of urban drainage and evacuation shelters in Banda Aceh.
In this article, we examined climate-related disasters through the lens of trans-local and national mobility practices. We do this by focusing on the lived realities of two Indigenous communities in Nigeria. Although there is growing recognition of the complex relationship between climate change and migration, there remains a significant gap in understanding Indigenous perspectives on climate change-enhanced natural hazards and disasters [CCENHD]. This study addresses this by examining Indigenous peoples' perspectives on vulnerabilities across generations, including the complexities of place awareness and community positionality, as well as the impact of shifting onsetting events on the migration practices of Indigenous local populations. We employed innovative qualitative methods, such as photovoice, videography, and life history interviews, to explore their responses to the physical threat posed by climate change shocks and to examine how these vulnerable Indigenous communities' recognition of their positionality impacts their livelihood aspirations and mobility intentions. Findings highlight changing generational perceptions of climate vulnerability across temporal shifts, contributing to understanding the pluralisation of Indigenous perspectives on the climatic disaster-migration nexus. The study recommends a targeted and inclusive policy on climate adaptation investment in Indigenous local communities.
The Sustainable Development Goals emphasise the use of the education system as a tool to promote knowledge and raise awareness about disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, due to the diversity of learners, educational approaches must be varied, which consequently calls for partnerships among learning facilitators that extend beyond formal educational institutions. This study presents a lesson from successful collaboration in implementing educational initiatives to enhance knowledge and awareness of DRR among people living in disaster-prone areas. A qualitative research methodology was employed, using an ex post facto design guided by the Theory of Change framework. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 22 informants and an analysis of 12 relevant documents. The findings revealed that success resulted from actively promoting learning and DRR awareness across all groups within the community. This outcome was attributed to multisectoral collaboration, enabling educational activities encompassing formal, non-formal, and informal education. Within the collaborative framework, the study highlights that the definition of collaboration should not necessarily imply that all agencies must conduct the same activity jointly. Instead, collaboration should be understood as a shared commitment and common goal among agencies, enabling them to operate separately within their respective capacities, resources, and readiness.
