Engaging public for building resilient communities to reduce disaster impact

Abstract

Perception about people’s behaviour during emergencies defines, to a large extent, the course of planning and resource allocation for community emergency response as well as development of mitigation measures. During the past decade, there has been a paradigm shift in the approach to disaster management. A recent trend has been to encourage more community participation as opposed to the top-down approach of the past. It is believed that community participation will bring about a comprehensive and accurate appreciation of people’s perception regarding hazards, risk, vulnerability, and resilience, and this research is an attempt to achieve just that. In order to accomplish our goal, we engaged a group of women that would typically fall into the category of “vulnerable group” in a focus group interview setting. The participants were mainly over 40 years old, the majority with little education, unemployed, facing language barriers, of low income, and reliant on public transit. Many participants identified that they lived in the vicinity of rivers, lakes, railways, or power plants, but did not seem to be aware of their exposure to potential threats—indicating a lack of education and awareness. The most common hazards and mitigation measures they were aware of, included floods (including basement flooding), fire, fire alarm, and smoke detectors. Additionally, illness and loneliness were mentioned as factors contributing to their increased vulnerability, hence reduced resiliency. With the help of the focus group members’ participation, we were able to discuss the importance of communities being aware of their surroundings, available resources and help, and permit them to voice their concerns in order to be able to cope during emergencies. We trust and hope that more community participation will lead to stronger and more resilient cities.

Appendix

1.1 Questionnaire

1.1.1 Demographic

The purpose of this section is to understand the structure and composition of the studied population.

• 1. I am in the age bracket of:

• 2. The highest level of education I have earned is:

• 3. I am currently employed:

• 4. If yes, the nature of my employment is:

• 5. If yes (to #3), the organization I am employed with is:

• 6. I classify my current job satisfaction as:

• 7. My current marital status is:

• 8. The number of members in my household is: ___. (Fill in the # of residents)

• 9. What is the nature of the relationship of those members who reside in your household? (Circle all that apply and indicate how many of each).

• 10. The type of my residence is:

• 11. I have lived in Canada for: (Fill in the number)

• 12. The country I migrated from is:

• 13. When considering my English speaking fluency, my level is:

• 14. My English reading skills are:

• 15. My English writing skills are:

1.1.2 THEME 1: risk exposure

The purpose of this section is to understand the ways in which people, property, systems, or other elements present in hazard zones are subject to potential losses ¹.

• 16. I live in the vicinity of: (Circle all that apply: river, power plant, railway, chemical plant etc.).

• 17. I am confident in my level of safety:

• 18. I am regularly exposed to risk:

1.1.3 Theme 2: vulnerability

The purpose of this section is to understand the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system, or asset that makes it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard ².

• 19. I have experienced a disaster/emergency event:

• 20. Rate the importance of preparedness for unforeseen hazard risks, to you.

• 21. In case of emergency, I have the resources to find help from:

• 22. My main and most frequent source of transportation is:

• 23. As an immigrant, the biggest challenge I have faced is :

1.1.4 Theme 3: resiliency/capacity

The purpose of this section is to understand the ability of individuals and society faced with hazards to respond to and recover from the impact in a timely and efficient manner. The combination of all the strengths, attributes and resources available within a community, can be used for restoration of essential structure and function.

• 24. I classify my health as:

• 25. I have a disability:

• 26. Provide a list of items in your house that will be helpful in case of an emergency:

   

  1)	___________________________	6)	___________________________
  2)	___________________________	7)	___________________________
  3)	___________________________	8)	___________________________
  4)	___________________________	9)	___________________________
  5)	___________________________	10)	__________________________

• 27. I am aware of community programmes that are beneficial to my healthy living, happiness, and safety:

• 28. I participate in cultural events within my community:

• 29. I feel a sense of belonging within my community:

• 30. Rate the importance of social ties and socializing to you.

• 31. I am interested of the current issues of my local government:

• 32. I normally vote in municipal elections:

• 33. I am involved in the activities that support my local government:

• 34. Comment on how satisfied you are with your municipal political representative, or give suggestions for improvement.

• 35. My religious affiliation is:

• 36. My annual household income is: