the importance of connected communities to flood resilience
DESCRIPTION
Research has shown the importance of social capital in disaster resilience. This presentation examines the implications of this for emergency managers and the use of social media in social capital formation related to disasters.TRANSCRIPT
The importance of connected communities to flood resilience
Neil Dufty, Molino Stewart Pty Ltd
let’s start with a poemLOST IN CYBERSPACEIs there anyone out there? I am calling from afarCan anybody answer?Quiet is becoming par. I’m seeking cyber-friendsOnes who will always postMy site I will always tendTo become the perfect host. Ah, words start to fill the voidA message from a ‘friend’?Annoyed to being buoyedThis is a better trend. Oh, reading the mail from this otherI find it is only from my mother. ………………..BACK TO THE POEM LATER
a flood resilience framework
Floodplain risk management
Community development
Emergency management
community development
Community development
Psychology: how people behave
Education: how people learn
Sociology: how people connect
connected communities
social capital
‘Social capital is the networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit’ (Putnam, 1995)
types of social capital
social capital and resilience Major studies:• 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami• 2010 Haiti earthquake• Hurricane Katrina• Other major disasters
value of social capital‘Despite different time periods, cultures, government capacities, and levels of development, all four cases showed that areas with more social capital made effective and efficient recoveries from crises through coordinated efforts and cooperative activities’ (Aldrich, 2012)
how it works• Deep levels of social capital serve as informal
insurance and promote mutual assistance after a disaster.
• Dense and numerous social ties help survivors solve collective action problems that stymie rehabilitation.
• Strong social ties strengthen the voices of survivors and decrease the probability of leaving.
now back to the poemHowever, like the poem, on the downside:• although high levels of social capital reduced
barriers to collective action for those in networked organisations, at the same time social capital reinforced obstacles to recovery for those outside of these organisations
and what about Victoria? • Social research in recent floods – indications of social capital• Community strength survey (source: DPCD)
Indicator Victoria Regional Victoria Metropolitan Melbourne
Can get help when needed (‘bonding social capital’)
91% 92% 91%
Membership of organised groups (‘bridging social capital’)
61% 64% 59%
Participation in organised sport (‘bridging social capital’)
41% 43% 40%
Volunteering (‘linking social capital’)
33% 43% 28%
On decision-making board or committee (‘linking social capital’)
19% 23% 17%
)
social mediaStudy of social media use in 2011 floods (OESC)• Bonding social capital (e.g. lending support to friends and
family)• Bridging social capital (e.g. people offering help during
recovery)• Linking social capital (e.g. volunteering help, providing real-
time information called ‘crowdsourcing’)
implications• Strengthen community flood networks in addition to
volunteering e.g. through policy making, capacity building• Mitigation and recovery plans should help enhance social
capital• Community education should not just concentrate on learning
for individual preparedness (e.g. emergency plans) but also on learning to build different types of social capital (e.g. ‘help a neighbour’)
• Social media should be further developed to help form social capital before, during and after a disaster
a final thought
Like two individuals exposed to the same disease, recovery may have more to do with the quality of the host than the nature of the disease (Aldrich, 2008)
Question And Answer
Thank you