Designing disaster-resilient communities

MANILA, Philippines - Murphy’s Law: If any thing can go wrong, it will. The epigram is especially accurate in our world that is threatened by global warming, pollution problems, and incremental population growth. With off-season storms gaining unexpected strength, or drought and soaring daytime temperatures fueling wildfires, governments, environmental planning experts and disaster-relief groups are faced with the reality that more communities worldwide are at risk.

At a seminar supported by the Thomas Jefferson Information Center, University of North Carolina’s Dr. Gavin Smith, executive director of the Center of Natural Hazards and Disasters, confirms, “The notion of trying to predict vulnerability is not a perfect science. We are going to see intensification of storms due to climate change.” But although no amount of careful planning can prevent damage brought about by more destructive natural calamities, building disaster-resilient communities should be the ideal.

“I always use ‘natural hazard’ instead of ‘disaster’ because disasters are a human construct,” Dr. Smith explains, “But at this time, climate change is a disaster. Many communities will not recover to pre-disaster conditions and we need to find a way to adapt to natural hazards.”

 What is a disaster-resilient community? Simply put, it is a community that is planned to best withstand the ill effects wrought by natural catastrophes; one that is well-prepared so that it can quickly revert to normalcy after the occurrence of a destructive event.

“The expectation that money can solve all disaster-related problems is flawed,” says Dr. Smith. “We need to expand our understanding of hazard science through rigorous interdisciplinary research focused on hazard resilience.” He identifies international collaboration; the use of technology to support research education and outreach; and diversification of center support, utilizing leveraging opportunities fostered through new and expanded partnerships, as goals in Hazards Management Science.

Pre-planning before a disaster can occur is vital. “Hazard identification will help us understand the risks that exist—their

PIEP treasurer Emma Ulep, HLURB staff member Rosemarie Bermejo, Joseph Tordella, US Embassy assistant for cultural affairs, and Arlene Ty of the PIEP secretariat –Photos courtesy of RONN TAN

intensity and duration; while vulnerability assessment will tell us what to expect.” Expected losses across differing hazard scenarios and concomitant social vulnerability should also be taken into consideration.

“Resources consist of more than money, it is also policy,” Dr. Smith’s contends. Thus, one is forced to ask difficult questions:

• Are you willing to change policies? Strong building codes may be in place, but in crowded cities, the poor are most vulnerable as they build their homes in risk-prone areas. Keeping in mind that the underprivileged sector is fastest in terms of population growth, and in light of the current Philippine controversy between the Catholic Church and reproductive health advocates, is it ethical to withhold “artificial,” albeit reliable, contraception from the poor so that more of them live in highly hazardous zones?  

 • How do you craft good policy after a disaster? Public interest in hazard mitigation strategies after a disaster is high, but people soon forget and revert to the same risk-prone or destructive habits.

• What are your dimensions of capability? Do the fiscal, technical, administrative, and political sectors work together, or do their actions undermine each other’s efforts?

• How do you involve the private sector? Clearly, the business of building hazard-resilient communities has numerous social, economic, political, moral and ethical implications.  

“What makes communities sustainable is the human dimension,” emphasizes Dr. Smith. He says that social capital and self-reliance are important, but quick action in the aftermath of a calamity might not turn out to a good idea without careful planning in some cases. The challenge is to step back and wait, and plan on what should be done after a disaster. He cites, as an example, residential complex developers who quickly rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina without considering the new flood levels of the land where they constructed new structures.

 “The challenge is how to bring [Hazards Management Science] down to a personal level. You can talk about it as an academic but realize that it is a personal choice you have to make. We should address the issues of sustainability brought to the forefront after a disaster. We need to get serious about reducing greenhouse emissions. There should be a long-term commitment to get people involved.”

“Complementary to hazards planning is climate change adaptation. We need to act now to cope with climate change.” Dr. Gavin Smith tells us that he has experienced loss firsthand after Hurricane Katrina severely damaged his circa-1920s family home. While the house was situated a quarter of a mile from the river before, it now stands 30 feet away from the water. “My father worked in NASA and we had books signed and personally given to him by Neil Armstrong. We had rocks from the moon. It is all gone now and we are among those who have moved on.”