Citation
Paton, D. (2012), "Editorial", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 21 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2012.07321aaa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Editorial
Editorial
Article Type: Editorial From: Disaster Prevention and Management, Volume 21, Issue 1.
The earthquakes and tsunami that affected several Japanese communities and Canterbury and Christchurch in New Zealand in 2011 provided reminders that the significant challenges faced by people, communities and societies are not restricted solely to the period of impact. These events reiterate the fact that the recovery and reconstruction phases that occur in the post-disaster environment pose considerable challenges and will do so for several years, if not decades. Recovery and reconstruction do not just take time. The quality of recovery and reconstruction, socially and environmentally, is also a function of the degree to which the management issues of this crucial and prolonged phase of a disaster is anticipated. The fortunate rarity of such large-scale events also makes it important to learn from past experience and accommodate lessons into current and future planning and preparations.
In the opening paper in this edition, Chang, Wilkinson, Potangaroa and Seville draw upon research in Indonesia and China to identify common issues facing post-disaster reconstruction stakeholders and specifically identify how the competence of the implementing agencies, the capacity of transportation, governance and legislation, and prevailing market conditions affect the effectiveness of reconstruction. They conclude by discussing the importance of including infrastructure and institutional policies and practices in reconstruction planning.
The role of institutional beliefs and practices is a theme that is carried over into the next paper in which Ainuddin and Routray discuss how institutional disengagement for communities affects earthquake risk in Balochistan. In particular, they draw attention to the fact that top-down reactive practices by governments and the segregation of central and provincial governments and community roles in planning is increasing community risk. They discuss the benefits that could accrue from between governmental integration and the adoption of a community engagement approach to planning and risk management intervention.
Ainuddin and Routray's paper reiterates the importance of building risk management activities around those at risk. While this, rightly, focuses on people, the next paper calls for the scope of how those affected are assessed. Specifically, Hesterberg, Huertas and Appleby argue for the importance of including pets and animals in the planning. There argument is based on the findings of a study undertaken in Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico into the need to accommodate people's beliefs about caring for pets if a comprehensive understanding of people's behaviour in crisis is to be constructed and used to inform response and recovery planning initiatives that will cater for people's needs. Hesterberg and colleagues found that some 75 per cent of respondents would take their animals with them if they had to evacuate. They discuss the implications this has for contingency planning. One such implication arises from a need to consider how people, and their animals, will be supplied with essential resources during response and recovery.
The work of Chang et al. and Hesterberg and colleagues discuss the diverse influences on the quality of resourcing that arise in the post-disaster environment. The ensuing uncertainty and complexity of resourcing reiterates the importance of contingency planning. Baldini, Oliveri, Braun, Seuschek and Hess offer a new approach to logistics planning using cryptography enhanced RFID to promote more effective supply chain management. The importance of this work drives from its focus on the security of supply chains. Disasters will always be characterized by a need to optimise the benefit obtained from limited resources.
The issue of resource limitations is addressed by Rafi, Wasiuddin and Siddiqui in the context of developing a conceptual framework model for fire risk management in Pakistan. The model derives from their analysis of gaps in the infrastructure and human components of fire risk management. Their analysis accommodates issues associated with negligence and the need for better policing of building codes, increasining awareness of safety measures and better training. One outcome of this will be greater awareness of the risk and a need to monitor that risk.
Awareness and monitoring are crucial componets of risk management. While traditionally the preserve of scientific and risk management agencies, Abon, David and Tabios discuss the proactive role communities can play in this process when the system integrates community action and flood modelling processes to facilitate the implementation of a flood early warning system in the Philippines.
In the next paper, Nam discusses how building heights need to be accommodated in risk management. Using the technological hazard of a natural gas pipeline accident to provide the context, Nam discusses how building heights have been relatively neglected and how height affects explosive risk. Nam concludes by discussing how environmental hazard management can be facilitated by accommodating the variation of building heights in the context of urban safety design and land-use decision making.
Land use planning provides the setting for the final paper in this edition. Wang continues the decision-making theme introduced by Nam to focus on exploring using the hazardscape as the basis for establishing a dialogue platform for land-use planning and disaster management using a mix of thematic analysis the paired comparison method with the goal of facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration. The importance of work of this nature has been highlighted by the fact that a lack of such collaboration, or some tardiness in its pursuance, can be implicated in the severity of the problems people face in the aftermath of disaster.
When set against a backdrop of the fact that natural hazards will continue to present a threat to people and societies around the world, the work presented in this edition provides insights into the valuable work that is being undertaken throughout the world to enhance people's safety by mitigating risk and help them deal with the consequences that people may encounter if affected by disaster. While this research has the potential to provide an important evidence base for disaster prevention and management, several papers highlight how policy and practice need to be developed to ensure the lessons are learnt and implemented. In addition to disseminating information on risk management, it is important that the researchers contributing to the journal and its readers advocate for the translation of research into policy and practice to ensure, as far as possible, that those at risk can fully benefit from our growing knowledge of disaster prevention and management.
Douglas Paton