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Abstract Background Dual crises happen when an acute shock unfolds in the context of a creeping crisis. The July 2021 floods in the Vesdre river basin (Wallonia, Belgium) is a typical case of such dual crises in the context of climate change. This study is based on 16 semi-structured interviews (conducted in Spring 2023) with 10 mayors, 4 representatives of the Public Service of Wallonia, 1 person working for the federal government, and 4 project managers, coupled with a document analysis (n = 13). It investigates the temporal strategies that connect short and long-term considerations in the aftermath of this disaster (timing, futuring, pacing, cyclical adaptation, and determining time horizons), at two different governmental levels: river basin and municipal level. Results In general, the window of opportunity to improve disaster resilience has been seized. Several studies were initiated by the Walloon region that shape the idea of an ideal future for the river basin and give recommendations for how to reach it. Unfortunately, those recommendations still come late compared to the temporal reality of the reconstruction process. Municipalities wish to strengthen disaster resilience as soon as possible, but they have to prioritize certain actions over others because of limited resources. The recommendations are considered flexible enough to adapt strategies to future contexts, but no monitoring and evaluation system for doing so has been implemented so far. In addition, clear policy agendas with transformational goals are scarce, and they diverge between the river basin and the municipalities. All these temporal strategies are shaped by elements of the institutional policy arrangement: resources, which affect them all, as well as actors, power, and formal rules, which affect some. These policy dimensions notably slow down the implementation of disaster resilience strategies and limit the determination of consensual time horizons. Conclusions The temporal strategies are passively shaped by the policy arrangement dimensions to a greater extent than actively chosen by the stakeholders. A structural transformation of the institutional policy arrangement is therefore needed to enable more coherent temporal strategies between different governance levels and to facilitate the consideration of long-term resilience during the recovery process from disasters.

Abstract Older adults are significantly impacted by natural hazards and disasters that are exacerbated by climate change. Understanding their awareness and preparedness is essential for enhancing disaster resilience. This study investigated the attitudes, actions, and recommendations of older adults regarding natural hazards that pose risks in their geographic area—specifically floods, wildfires, and/or earthquakes in Canada. Methods for this study included survey and focus groups with older adults (n = 161 and n = 10, respectively) and other high-risk groups from across Canada, that are vulnerable to these natural hazards. The main findings from this study are that current awareness and preparedness among older adults is low, though stronger perceptions of risks are associated with risks specific to geographic locations where respondents live. Several barriers, such as hazard vulnerability misperceptions, cost-related reasons, and lack of hazard awareness have resulted in low awareness and preparedness among these populations. The two main recommendations arising from this research are: (1) improve awareness and preparedness with tailor-made emergency preparedness materials for older adults; and (2) adopt community-based approaches to disaster preparedness through existing community groups to strengthen social connections with a focus on locally specific hazards. The findings from this research can be applied to other hazards, including heatwaves and pandemics.

A comprehensive Flood Resilient Scenario Model ‘FReSMo’ employs a data-driven, evidence-based approach for assessing climate-induced flood risk and validating the efficacy of mangroves (as context-specific adaptation measure) in reducing residential building damage. Based on an improvised Source-Pathway-Receptor-Consequence-Evidence concept, FReSMo employs a three-step analysis. First, hazard mapping estimates coastal flood extents for various return period under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways. Second, the model maps the exposure of residential buildings to these flood extents by projecting built-up area for 2050 using the FUTURES model, based on physiographic, socio-demographic, and economic parameters. Finally, a data-driven probabilistic damage model is applied to estimate the built-up area damage for a 100-year coastal flood event (SSP-2.6). The pre-and post-adaptation damage estimate demonstrates the efficacity of NBS (mangroves) in reducing coastal flood risk. A 100 m mangrove patch on the Sagar coastline reduced the building damage cost by 70% for a 48-hr and 75% for a 24-hr flood. Considering a plantation cost for 6.2 km2, the total benefit, despite persistent losses, was a 222% return on investment. FReSMo transcends conventional risk assessment frameworks by offering a comprehensive approach for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of adaptation investments in developing countries, making it an invaluable tool in the face of climate change.

"The Urban Rehabilitation of Post-Disaster Scapes" is a book that examines the use of urbanscapes during the disaster process, focusing on the pre-disaster, disaster event, and post-disaster phases. The book includes 18 case studies of natural and man-made disasters from 1991 to 2022, covering various types of disasters such as floods, storms, earthquakes, wildfires, and sociological and technological disasters. The authors analyze the role of the urbanscape in each phase of the disaster process and discuss urban rehabilitation strategies. While the book provides a comprehensive discourse on disaster resilience and green growth approaches, it lacks case studies from the African continent. Overall, the book is recommended for researchers, students, and professionals in academia, disaster management, urban planning, and architecture. [Extracted from the article]

The current business climate has generated considerable uncertainty and disrupted supply chain processes. Suppliers have frequently been identified as the primary source of hazards responsible for supply chain disruptions. Using a strategic approach to supplier selection that prioritizes providers with resilience features, mitigating the risk exposure inherent in supply chains is possible. This study proposes a comprehensive gray multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) method incorporating resilience attributes to supplier selection. To determine criteria weights, the gray PSI and gray BWM methodologies were used, and to evaluate and prioritize resilient providers, the gray MCRAT and gray COBRA methodologies were applied. According to the results obtained by the suggested methodology, the supplier that demonstrated the greatest degree of resilience was determined to be the provider categorized as SPIR 4. The sequential sequence of the SPIR numbers is as follows: SPIR 5, SPIR 1, SPIR 3, SPIR 2, and SPIR 6. The data demonstrate that the developed approach produced accurate results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented multiple psychological challenges for healthcare workers, such as anxiety, depression, burnout, and substance use disorders. In this research, we investigate the different ways Romanian physicians dealt with the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also analyze how positive and negative stress-reducing strategies, as well as demographic variables, affect their psychological resilience and quality of life. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of how physicians coped with the unprecedented global health challenges. Methods: We carried out a national cross-sectional study of 265 physicians in Romania between January 2021 and January 2022 using a web-based questionnaire. The study employed a web-based questionnaire to assess coping mechanisms using the COPE inventory, resilience through the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25 (CD-RISC 25), and quality of life via the WHOQOL-BREF scale. The COPE inventory, consisting of 60 items across 15 subscales, categorizes coping strategies into problem-focused, emotion-focused, and dysfunctional types, with each item rated on a 4-point scale. The CD-RISC 25 measures resilience on a 5-point Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 0 to 100. WHOQOL-BREF assesses quality of life through 26 items in 4 domains: physical, mental, social relations, and environmental, scored from 1 to 5 and converted to a 0–100 scale for domain scores. Univariate and multivariate linear regression models were employed to discern the intricate relationships between coping strategies, resilience levels, quality of life dimensions, and pertinent demographic factors. Results: The average CD-RISC score among participants was 66.2. The mean scores for the values for the QOL subscales were 64.0 for physical well-being, 61.7 for psychological well-being, 61.2 for social relationships, and 64.7 for environment. Individuals tend to use problem-focused and emotion-focused coping more than dysfunctional mechanisms, according to the COPE inventory. Problem-focused and emotion-focused coping are positively correlated with resilience, while dysfunctional coping is negatively correlated. Resilience is significantly influenced by gender and professional status, with males and senior specialists reporting higher levels while younger physicians and residents reporting lower levels. Conclusions: Our data points to specific protective characteristics and some detrimental factors on physicians' resilience and quality of life during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the impact of spatiotemporal variations in typhoon-induced rainfall on the processes of urban waterlogging in coastal cities of China, a numerical model of surface water dynamics and its associated transport processes was applied. The central business district of Ningbo, a coastal city in China, was selected as the study area. The scope of this research encompassed a comprehensive examination of urban waterlogging under various scenarios, including conditions featuring both moving typhoon- induced rainfall and stationary typhoon- induced rainfall. The findings of this study are as follows: ① Rainfall moving in different directions leads to a delayed accumulation of water at waterlogging monitoring sites. The delay ranges from 0 to 0. 5 hours when the rainfall moves directly westward or northwestward, 1. 5 hours when moving directly northward, and 1. 5 to 2 hours when moving in a direction 30 degrees east of north. ② In 92% of the simulated scenarios, the movement of rainfall results in a reduction in both the volume and depth of water accumulation. The maximum reduction rate of peak water depth reaches 4. 46% . As the return period of rainfall increases from 5 a to 50 a, the reduction rate of peak water depth decreases from 0. 49% to 0. 10% . ③ The impact patterns of bimodal and unimodal rainfall on urban waterlogging are similar, but the former has a comparatively lesser impact. Therefore, in cities affected by typhoon-induced rainfall, the disaster prevention and mitigation ministry should give special consideration to the spatiotemporal movement characteristics of the typhoon-induced rainfall. This approach is crucial for further enhancing urban flood resilience and mitigating disaster losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the determinants that influence the consumers' disposition to invest in microgrid technology in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This research offers valuable insights for policymakers on investors' motivations to develop strategies to foster microgrid technology adoption through end-user investments leading to a reduction in microgrid high capital cost. The study employed descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses to analyze the responses of a sample of property owners to a quantitative survey. The study examines such variables as strategic alignment, profitability, digitization, renewable energy utilization, CO2 emission reduction, and disaster recovery readiness. The data collected reveal a moderate level of understanding and cost-awareness of microgrid technology among the respondents, with a mean of 2.46 out of 5. Notably, the data highlight the significant influence of strategic alignment with the UAE's national energy goals on the respondents' inclination to invest in microgrids, with a strong positive correlation of 0.942 at the 0.01 level (two-tailed). By comparison, profitability and disaster recovery have a comparatively weaker correlation. Furthermore, based on the data collected during this study, it has been determined that there is a strong value added by the microgrid initiatives considering the UAE's strategic direction and the positive influence of reduced CO2. The regression models used were highly significant at F = 85.690. There is an acceptable level of multicollinearity with VIF values ranging from 1.087 to 2.155. UAE Strategy has low collinearity. UAE Strategy emerges as the only significant predictor of willingness to invest (p < 0.001) in the stepwise regression analysis. The analysis shows that villa and townhouse owners are willing to invest in community microgrid given that it is aligned with UAE strategy and leads to CO2 emissions reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disarticulated human bone fragments can be encountered in various scenarios where fragmented skeletal material has been disturbed by anthropogenic (i.e. grave robbing, disaster recovery), animal scavenging (i.e. with surface deposits), or natural forces (i.e. flooding, erosion). The physical anthropologist should aim to classify as diagnostic as many human bone fragments as possible. The Camposanto cemetery (Venice, Italy) was used to assess a landmark method to determine its applicability to human fragmented assemblages (archaeological, humanitarian, or forensic). A total of 7,330 fragments, of which 59% were smaller than 5 cm and 1.7% were larger than 10 cm, returned a MNI of 24 individuals (16 adults, five children, and three infants). The study concluded that a modified version of the landmark schema, particularly the cranium and pelvis, is required to classify a greater number of fragments as diagnostic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community awareness is a key component of disaster resilience and numerous agencies developed a plethora of preparedness materials. Previous studies evaluated national-level resources and social media content indicating that these efforts are not effectively reaching vulnerable populations, as the information is provided at or above the secondary education level. However, the local-specific content has been mostly overlooked in the analyses, subsequently neglecting the needs of areas with specific demographics and hazards, like predominantly Hispanic border communities. Thus, this study turns to local preparedness and mitigation materials, rather than general internet searches or national level documents. We analyze information provided on 239 webpages of local authorities in Cameron county in the southernmost tip of Texas. We evaluate: 1) the availability of languages and visual materials, 2) the reading difficulty level, and 3) the suitability of content. Our results demonstrate the lack of suitable and readable information provided on the local authorities' websites with the average readability level implying "difficult" to "very confusing", and the average suitability score equivalent to "below average/adequate". Moreover, the lack of Spanish-language content indicates an under-utilization of the otherwise vernacular language. We discuss those results in the socio-cultural context of the border community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the adverse effects of climate change-induced frequent extreme disasters on agricultural production and supply stability, this study develops a comprehensive agricultural disaster prevention system based on current adaptation strategies for mitigating agricultural meteorological disasters. The primary goal is to enhance disaster preparedness and recovery through three core platforms: a fine-scale weather forecast service system, a crop disaster early warning system, and an agricultural information service platform for disasters. The results show that every major agricultural production township in Taiwan now has dedicated agricultural weather stations and access to refined weather forecasts. Additionally, a disaster prevention calendar for 76 important crops is established, integrating cultivation management practices and critical disaster thresholds for different growth periods. Utilizing this calendar, the crop disaster early warning system can provide timely disaster-related information and pre-disaster prevention assistance to farmers through various information dissemination tools. As a disaster approaches, the agricultural information service platform for disasters provides updates on current crop growth conditions. This service not only pinpoints areas at higher risk of disasters and vulnerable crop types but also offers mitigation suggestions to prevent potential damage. Administrative efficiency is then improved with a response mechanism incorporating drones and image analysis for early disaster detection and rapid response. In summary, the collaborative efforts outlined in this study demonstrate a proactive approach to agricultural disaster prevention. By leveraging technological advancements and interdisciplinary cooperation, the aim is to safeguard agricultural livelihoods and ensure food security in the face of climate-induced challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Using critical disaster studies and state theory, we assess the disaster aid platform named Lebanon Reconstruction, Reform and Recovery Framework (3RF) that was put in place by international donors in the aftermath of the Beirut Port Blast in August 2020, in order to examine the effectiveness of its inclusive decision-making architecture, as well as its institutional building and legislative reform efforts. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses the case study approaach and relies on two original data sets compiled by authors, using desk reviews of academic literature and secondary data, in addition to 24 semi-structured expert interviews and participant observation for two years. Findings: The aid platform appears innovative, participatory and effectively functioning toward recovery and reform. However, in practice, the government dismisses CSOs, undermines reforms and dodges state building, whereas the 3RF is structured in incoherent ways and operates according to conflicting logics, generating inertia and pitfalls that hinder effective participatory governance, prevent institutional building, and delay the making of projects. Research limitations/implications: The research contributes to critical scholarship as it addresses an important research gap concerning disaster aid platforms' institutional design and governance that are under-studied in critical disaster studies and political studies. It also highlights the need for critical disaster studies to engage with state theory and vice-versa. Practical implications: The research contributes to evaluations of disaster recovery processes and outcomes. It highlights the limits of disaster aid platforms' claims for participatory decision-making, institutional-building and reforms. Originality/value: The paper amplifies critical disaster studies, through the reflexive analysis of a case-study of an aid platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor and marginalised communities worldwide bear a disproportionate burden of the impacts caused by flash floods, resulting in significant socioeconomic and financial damages. To enhance community resilience to floods, it is crucial to comprehend flood risk perception (FRP) and preparedness levels for future disasters. This study aims to investigate these two essential factors in the Saadi community, which is one of the most flood-prone and marginalised communities in Shiraz, Iran. A field survey was conducted using a questionnaire (n = 400), supplemented by in-depth interviews with six informants and observational methods, to gain a comprehensive understanding of FRP among residents of the Saadi neighbourhood and assess their preparedness for future flooding events. The survey questionnaire consisted of three main domains: FRP and climate change perception, infrastructural capacity building in post-flood scenarios, and the extent of disaster preparedness. These questions were derived from a review of relevant literature and tailored to the unique conditions of the area, resulting in 18 variables. The results indicate that a high level of FRP (87.5%) was reported among affected residents who experienced previous floods and suffered consequences. Moreover, survey participants believed that more than three-fifths of the infrastructure remained unchanged. This study underscores the presence of high levels of FRP and medium-to-low levels of preparedness for flash floods in one of the most vulnerable communities in Shiraz city. The research findings can provide valuable insights for urban planners, city officials, and policymakers in developing more effective and realistic community resilience plans for communities prone to flash flooding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of public libraries in promoting community resilience and sustainability during times of crisis. It fills a research gap by investigating the relationship between library services, community engagement, and long-term resilience within the context of disaster recovery. Through a comprehensive analysis of literature and a case study of Kaohsiung Public Library in Taiwan, the study establishes a robust association between libraries and community resilience. The study emphasizes the importance of public libraries as agents of community resilience and advocates for a comprehensive approach to address community needs during crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

United Nations SDGs-11 focuses on safe, resilient, sustainable cities and human settlement. Importance given to implement the Disaster Risk Reduction strategy where the number of death and economic loss to be reduced. Seismic disaster risk reduction is one of the major task in SDGs., The occurrence of earthquake in the Himalayan region is continuous and infrastructures are highly affected. The study aims to suggest a suitable seismic retrofitting technique for infrastructures in Sikkim Himalayan region by In-situ and laboratory based analysis. In the lab environment, geoinformatic based geospatial databases have been generated to understand the seismological characteristics of the study area and a seismic retrofitting experiment has been conducted with the help of plaster of Paris column wrapping with glass fiber to test the strengthening of the column specimen. Also, In-situ field observation data has been collected and analyzed to recognize the vulnerable infrastructures which have the probability to get damaged during an earthquake and relevant seismic retrofitting technique has been suggested for vulnerable infrastructures by incorporating with lab based structural analysis. The experimental result shows that the first crack is developed in the Specimen-I without wrapping while the applied load is 320N, deflectometer reading is 555 mm. At a load of 640N, the column developed crack. The complete failure of the column has also been recognized from this specimen while the applied load is 832N and deflectometer reading is 924 mm. In the fiber wrapped specimen (Specimen- II), it is observed that the crack is not developed in the specimen-II column till it has been completely uprooted from the base when the load reached 320N the corresponding deflection was found to be 350 mm which is very much less than Specimen I. The experimental result indicates that the glass fiber wrapped specimen appears stronger with an increasing load than without wrapped specimen. It can be inferred that the seismic retrofitting technique using GFRP wrap in concrete structure can improve the strength of the buildings in the study region. The proposed technique is suggested for different concrete infrastructures in the study region to improve the strength of the columns and beams for protecting infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many parts of Malawi are prone to natural hazards with varying degrees of risk and vulnerability. This study aimed at obtaining baseline data for quantifying vulnerability of the households to flood risks in Karonga District in northern Malawi, specifically in Group Village Headman Matani Mwakasangila of Traditional Authority Kilupula. The study used cross-sectional survey, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. This study applied Flood Vulnerability Index and statistical methods to quantify and analyse vulnerability of households in the aspects of exposure, susceptibility and resilience characteristics. Proportional Odds Model also known as Ordered Logistic Regression was used to identify factors that determine vulnerability of households to flood risks. The results show that households headed by females and elders of age (at least 61 years) were the most vulnerable to floods because of their limited social and livelihood capacities, resulting from being uneconomically active group. Households with houses built of mud, thatched and very old with no protective account for high vulnerability due to the fact that most of them are constructed using substandard materials. The level of vulnerability was increasing with an increase in the number of households exposed and susceptible to floods. With an increase in resilience to floods, vulnerability level was decreasing. The results further revealed a predictive margins of vulnerability levels which were not significantly different among the villages. However, villages with more exposed, susceptible and not resilience households were most vulnerable to floods. This study recommends that vulnerability assessment should be included in Disaster Risk Reduction planning and implementation in order to make DRR more efficient and realistic. This would further strengthen the disaster risk management to be more proactive as well as increase resilience of households to flood risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to assess disaster resilience in Korean metropolitan cities and explore the factors influencing disaster management in these cities. Statistical data from 17 metropolitan cities and provinces in Korea spanning the years 2016 to 2020 were collected. Data envelopment analysis (DEA), a method for estimating relative efficiency using multiple input and output variables, was employed to calculate the disaster resilience scores of these cities. The results indicate higher level of disaster resilience in capital regions and large cities in Korea, with social and economic characteristics significantly influencing resilience. Moreover, the study reveals that robust infrastructure, particularly in terms of housing, strongly impacts resilience scores. The use of DEA allows for the practical evaluation of relative resilience scores without requiring weighted value calculations, making it an effective methodology for assessing city resilience. This study aimed to assess how well Korean metropolitan cities are prepared for disasters and understand what factors affect their disaster management. We collected statistics data on the social, economic, infrastructure, community capital, and institutions of 17 Korean metropolitan cities and provinces from 2016 to 2020. We used a method called data envelopment analysis (DEA) to figure out how well these cities are handling disasters. The results show that capital regions and large cities in Korea are better at handling disasters. This is because factors such as social and economic characteristics have a significant impact on their ability to respond to disasters. Additionally, having strong infrastructure, especially when it comes to housing, plays a big role in how well a city can respond to disasters. Using DEA allowed us to evaluate how well cities are prepared for disasters without needing complicated calculations, making it a useful method for assessing city readiness for disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses the Social–Ecological–Technological Systems (SETS) framework to examine the urban disaster management strategies of Toyama City, Japan. The recent seismic shocks on the Noto Peninsula highlight the importance of implementing efficient disaster management. Toyama City has incorporated the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals into its statutory planning frameworks and urban management policies. This synthesis promotes a cooperative approach to disaster resilience while effectively managing challenging limitations. However, we investigate how Toyama City's policy may be improved using policy direction evaluation and SETS allomorph coding. This extensive allomorph analysis of the city's urban planning and disaster management documents shows a dominant focus on social and technical elements, including emergency preparedness, policy, economic criteria, and infrastructure. Nevertheless, the results reveal a significant deficiency in ecological considerations, indicating an asymmetry in the existing policy framework. Our study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive disaster management strategy that considers social, technological, and ecological variables to improve the city's ability to support sustainable development and socio-hydrological challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Business Science (JOBS) / İşletme Bilimi Dergisi (JOBS) is the property of Journal of Business Science / Isletme Bilimi Dergisi (JOBS) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Resilience, achieving rapid recovery so that society can bounce back from a disaster, is a desirable goal, but sometimes the focus should be only on safety. The 2023 Turkey/Syria earthquake illustrates the case where limited resources should be prioritized on safety, that is, the collapse prevention performance objective, rather than the significantly more expensive goal of post-earthquake functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-disaster housing recovery models increase our understanding of recovery dynamics, vulnerable populations, and how people are affected by the direct losses that disasters create. Past recovery models have focused on single-family owner-occupied housing, while empirical evidence shows that rental units and multi-family housing are disadvantaged in post-disaster recovery. To fill this gap, this article presents an agent-based housing recovery model that includes the four common type–tenure combinations of single- and multi-family owner- and renter-occupied housing. The proposed model accounts for the different recovery processes, emphasizing funding sources available to each type–tenure. The outputs of our model include the timing of financing and recovery at building resolution across a community. We demonstrate the model with a case study of Alameda, California, recovering from a simulated M7.0 earthquake on the Hayward fault. The processes in the model replicate higher non-recovery of multi-family housing than single-family housing, as observed in past disasters, and a heavy reliance of single-family renter-occupied units on Small Business Administration funding, which is expected due to low earthquake insurance penetration. The simulation results indicate that multi-family housing would have the highest portion of unmet need remaining; however, some buildings with unmet needs are anticipated to be able to obtain a large portion of their funding. The remaining portion may be filled using personal financing or may be overcome with downsizing or downgrades. Multi-family housing would also benefit the most from Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR). This benefit is a result of modeling the financing sources, that CDBG-DR is available, and that many multi-family buildings do not qualify for other sources. Communities' allocation of public funding is important for housing recovery. Our model can help inform and compare potential financing policies to allocate public funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice storm disasters pose great challenges to the safe and stable operation of transmission systems, especially in high‐renewable‐integration scenarios. However, as one of the major types of natural disasters that can have severe consequences, ice storm disasters are much less studied than hurricanes and earthquakes. Ice storm disasters are characterized by a long duration and wide scope, which affect the source, network, and load side of the power grid. It is difficult to formulate a quantitative evaluation of resilience and establish effective planning strategies. Here, a resilient planning method considering the interactive effects of ice disasters on sources, networks, and loads is therefore proposed. First, the two‐stage Monte Carlo method is used to generate multiple grid fault scenarios for different levels of ice storm disasters. Then, an index is proposed to quantify the grid resilience as the total amount of system power loss caused by ice storm disasters. Based on this approach, a two‐layer mathematical model is established with grid resilience and total investment cost objectives in each fault scenario. Hierarchical reinforcement and the protection of generating units and transmission lines are selected as investment strategies to mitigate the impact of ice storm disasters. Finally, the IEEE‐24 node transmission system is used to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. Optimizing the planning strategy can significantly improve system resilience with minimal investment cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimate and trace a credit demand curve for households that recently experienced damage to their homes from a natural disaster. Our administrative data include over one million applicants to a federal recovery loan program for households. We estimate extensive‐margin demand over a large range of interest rates. Our identification strategy exploits 24 natural experiments, leveraging exogenous, time‐based variation in the program's offered interest rate. Interest rates meaningfully affect consumer demand throughout the distribution of rates. On average, a 1 percentage point increase in the interest rate reduces loan take‐up by 26%. We find a large impact of applicants' credit quality on demand and evidence of monthly payment targeting. Using our estimated demand curve and information on program costs, we find that the program generates an average social surplus of $2900 per borrower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Resources & Ecology is the property of Journal of Resources & Ecology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In dealing with the occurrence of earthquakes, urban communities and people within the system should primarily consider the geological background, secondary hazards caused by earthquakes, countermeasures to mitigate earthquake disasters, community connectivity, and the impact of various indicators and criteria on the earthquake-proof capacity of the community. It is important to comprehensively assess these factors to ensure that a community is well-prepared to withstand an earthquake. This study takes Shenzhen (China) as an example to conduct a preliminarily evaluation of a method of earthquake-proof capacity during an earthquake, with the results reflecting the comprehensive capacity of communities. The evaluation framework focuses more on effectively improving the disaster response capacity and resilience of urban communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex infrastructure projects have an increasing need to engage contractors in the pre-construction phase. Recent studies show that the early involvement of the contractor has a positive impact on the quality of the design, safety, cost, and time. The purpose of this study is to examine the main supporting design activities in the design-subphase in the pre-construction phase and examine which of these can benefit most from ECI. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, along with 3 workshops, literature studies, and document studies. 16 design activities were identified, and it was concluded that the top three activities that could benefit most from ECI are Constructability Reviews, Operability Reviews , and Design Reviews. Results showed an overall agreement that it would be beneficial to involve contractor competence during the late design-sub phase, more precisely during the transition from late schematic to detailed design process. Results from interviews are in contrast with the literature findings, which indicate that the early conceptual phase is most beneficial as the contractor impact is highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless ad hoc/sensor networks (WASN) have seen increased application in three-dimensional (3D) environments, such as underwater and aerial scenarios. However, WASN may be fragmented or unable to connect continuously due to the harsh surrounding environment or high mobility. Therefore, restoring the network connectivity and transmit data in real time is very important. This paper focuses on the critical task of restoring network connectivity in 3D WASN, a complex issue given that existing connectivity restoration algorithms for two-dimensional environments are not directly applicable or become overly complicated in 3D contexts. We present a comprehensive analysis of the current research landscape, summarizing key findings related to various aspects of 3D WASN connectivity restoration. These aspects include the application environment (underwater, in the sky, and recovery disaster), opportunities for restoration (active, passive, and active/passive), implementation strategies (clustering and sleep scheduling), and resource constraints (node deployment and movement control). Our study also proposes a classification of connectivity restoration solutions for 3D WASN, identifying existing gaps and suggesting potential future research directions. By providing specific insights and a structured overview of the field, we aim to contribute to the ongoing development of robust and resilient 3D WASN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus resulted in shelter-in-place orders disrupting business operations and supply chains. IT leadership was faced with the rapid implementation of crisis management and business continuity plans as well as on-the-fly adaptations required to stay operational. Four CIOs from various businesses discussed the challenges of dealing with a rapidly spreading pandemic, strategies to mitigate the loss of business continuity, and lessons learned in the transition to hybrid or fully remote work environments. This paper recounts and analyzes the best practices gained from these interviews. Data was collected through online interviews with CIOs from for-profit and non-profit businesses. The transcripts of the recorded interviews were then analyzed for similar strategic approaches, aspects of success, and areas that needed improvement. The results revealed best practices in dealing with the loss of a centralized work environment, strategies to leverage technology to maintain business continuity, and procedures to incorporate into future pandemic response plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: The COVID‐19 pandemic bears many similarities to other disasters such as bushfires, earthquakes and floods. It also has distinctive features including its prolonged and recurrent nature and the social isolation induced by pandemic responses. Existing conceptual frameworks previously applied to the study of disaster, such as the Recovery Capitals Framework (RCF), may be useful in understanding experiences of the COVID‐19 pandemic and in guiding agencies and governments tasked with supporting communities. Methods: This paper presents an analysis of interviews conducted with residents of the Australian state of Victoria in 2020–2021. The RCF was used to analyse how participant experiences and well‐being were influenced by seven forms of capital—social, human, natural, financial, built, cultural and political—with particular focus on the interactions between these capitals. Results: Social capital featured most prominently in participants' accounts, yet the analysis revealed important interactions between social and other capitals that shaped their pandemic experiences. The RCF supported a strengths‐based and holistic analysis while also revealing how inequities and challenges were compounded in some cases. Conclusions: Findings can be leveraged to develop effective and innovative strategies to support well‐being and disrupt patterns of compounding inequity. Applying the RCF in the context of COVID‐19 can help to link pandemic research with research from a wide range of disasters. So What?: In an increasingly complex global landscape of cascading and intersecting disasters including pandemics, flexible and nuanced conceptual approaches such as the RCF can generate valuable insights with practical implications for health promotion efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of deaths owing to tropical cyclones in Bangladesh has significantly reduced. Category 4 Cyclone Gorky in 1991 and Sidr in 2007 caused 147,000 and 4,500 deaths respectively, whereas Category 1 Cyclone Mora in 2017 resulted in six. Face‐to‐face interviews with 362 residents, participant observation, and focus‐group discussions answer a research question about how change in coastal areas has contributed to this outcome. The study considered institutional approaches of disaster risk management through legal frameworks, administrative arrangements, cyclone preparedness activities, cyclone detection and early warning dissemination, construction of shelter centres, strengthening of various types of coastal embankments, paved roads, and pre‐cyclone evacuation. The findings indicate significant improvement in house structures and design, income levels and diversification, education, awareness, individual capacity, poverty reduction, and lowering dependency on agriculture‐based earning. Furthermore, the availability of mobile telephones, radio, television, and social media platforms enhanced social connectivity and greater gender equality and empowerment helped to facilitate disaster preparedness, evacuation, and response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the concept of disaster risk, vulnerability is one of the key determinants. It acknowledges the degree of unsafe conditions in a susceptible zone so that mitigation measures and disaster resilience can be enforced. Bogor area is the most susceptible region to landslides with more than 485 landslide events since 2012. However, there is still inadequate information on its vulnerability to landslides, as the risk reduction challenge per se, is a long-run task. Correspondingly, this study aims to measure the degree of vulnerability to landslides in Bogor area from four focal points (i.e.: social, physical, economic, and environmental dimensions), through the proxy of Vulnerability Index (VI). This study employs a GIS-based spatial analysis on a sub-district level. The result shows that although having high records on landslide events, Bogor area mainly retrieves low VI. In general, Bogor area has low VI [0.347-0.454] on 26 sub-districts. Moreover, 13 sub-districts attain medium VI (0.454-0.562], and 7 sub-districts achieve high VI (0.562-0.670]. Sub-districts that have high VI are: Bogor Tengah, Bogor Barat, Bogor Selatan, Cibinong, Bojonggede, Ciomas, and Bogor Utara; which are mainly promoted by the high indexes on social and physical vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, further study is still needed to extend the knowledge of relationship between landslide susceptibility and this vulnerability result, by using a more extensive and longer data series. That is especially in accord with taking the appropriate mitigation measures in spatial planning and landslide risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research is aimed at preparing landslide susceptibility using spatial analysis and soft computing machine learning techniques based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs), artificial neural networks (ANNs) and logistic regression (LR) models. Design/methodology/approach: Using the Geographical Information System (GIS), a spatial database including topographic, hydrologic, geological and landuse data is created for the study area. The data are randomly divided between a training set (70%), a validation (10%) and a test set (20%). Findings: The validation findings demonstrate that the CNN model (has an 89% success rate and an 84% prediction rate). The ANN model (with an 84% success rate and an 81% prediction rate) predicts landslides better than the LR model (with a success rate of 82% and a prediction rate of 79%). In comparison, the CNN proves to be more accurate than the logistic regression and is utilized for final susceptibility. Research limitations/implications: Land cover data and geological data are limited in largescale, making it challenging to develop accurate and comprehensive susceptibility maps. Practical implications: It helps to identify areas with a higher likelihood of experiencing landslides. This information is crucial for assessing the risk posed to human lives, infrastructure and properties in these areas. It allows authorities and stakeholders to prioritize risk management efforts and allocate resources more effectively. Social implications: The social implications of a landslide susceptibility map are profound, as it provides vital information for disaster preparedness, risk mitigation and landuse planning. Communities can utilize these maps to identify vulnerable areas, implement zoning regulations and develop evacuation plans, ultimately safeguarding lives and property. Additionally, access to such information promotes public awareness and education about landslide risks, fostering a proactive approach to disaster management. However, reliance solely on these maps may also create a false sense of security, necessitating continuous updates and integration with other risk assessment measures to ensure effective disaster resilience strategies are in place. Originality/value: Landslide susceptibility mapping provides a proactive approach to identifying areas at higher risk of landslides before any significant events occur. Researchers continually explore new data sources, modeling techniques and validation approaches, leading to a better understanding of landslide dynamics and susceptibility factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sources of disaster resilience represent important (but understudied) dimensions of the interplay between immigrants and disasters, as do immigrants' disaster response activities. Using key informant interviews, we examine immigrant faith-based organizations' (FBO) responses to two contemporary pandemics. Additionally, we assess for the presence of disaster-relevant social capital in immigrant FBOs. FBOs were found to possess key components of social capital and to actively engage in pandemic response activities, including provision of health risk communication, education, leadership, infection control measures, cash and in-kind contributions, advocacy, and psychosocial support. For immigrant communities, FBO-based social capital contributes to effective disaster and pandemic responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicycles and other forms of micromobility have been anecdotally used in past disasters to help save lives and improve community recovery. However, research and practice are scarce on this resilient transportation strategy, which limits its usefulness and possible benefits. To fill this gap, our paper investigates the potential role bicycles and micromobility in facilitating (or limiting) disaster response and recovery. Given the lack of exploration on the topic, we convened an online workshop where we conducted brainstorming and focus group discussions with disaster experts from various government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, academia, and policy groups. We present a synthesis of that discussion, along with a review of the existing literature. We conclude there is strong potential for bicycles and micromobility for different disaster phases, hazard types, and groups of people. However, multiple barriers exist related to implementation and safety, suggesting a need for future research and policy in the transportation and emergency management fields and practices. • Feasibility of micromobility to aid evacuation is determined by disaster type, disaster phase, vehicle type, and geography. • Micromobility has the potential to aid both the short-term response and longer-term recovery from natural disasters. • Micromobility is flexible and cheap for resource movement and can navigate roads that are impassable for cars and trucks. • Availability of bikes and micro-modes is both a barrier and a facilitator for use during disaster response. • Many political and coordination barriers remain to make micromobility a part of disaster planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient resource allocation after a disaster is critical to enhance the resilience of social infrastructures. This research proposes a post-disaster decision-support system (PDDSS) to make an effective yet efficient decision in timely manner for allocating the resources after the disasters. The location-based PDDSS utilizes the integration of multiple sources of data with a modified Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to enhance the effectiveness of the decision. The various test cases validate the feasibility of the Python programming based PDDSS and demonstrate that the proposed system facilitates disaster recovery to enhance the effectiveness of resource distribution in the post-disaster scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Storm Daniel initiated on 3 September 2023, over the Northeastern Aegean Sea, causing extreme rainfall levels for the following four days, reaching an average of about 360 mm over the Peneus basin, in Thessaly, Central Greece. This event led to extensive floods, with 17 human lives lost and devastating environmental and economic impacts. The automatic water-monitoring network of the HIMIOFoTS National Research Infrastructure captured the evolution of the phenomenon and the relevant hydrometeorological (rainfall, water stage, and discharge) measurements were used to analyse the event's characteristics. The results indicate that the average rainfall's return period was up to 150 years, the peak flow close to the river mouth reached approximately 1950 m3/s, and the outflow volume of water to the sea was 1670 hm3. The analysis of the observed hydrographs across Peneus also provided useful lessons from the flood-engineering perspective regarding key modelling assumptions and the role of upstream retentions. Therefore, extending and supporting the operation of the HIMIOFoTS infrastructure is crucial to assist responsible authorities and local communities in reducing potential damages and increasing the socioeconomic resilience to natural disasters, as well as to improve the existing knowledge with respect to extreme flood-simulation approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas with an imbalanced vulnerability to disasters have garnered attention. Building an urban resilience index helps to develop a progressively favored instrument for tracking progress toward disaster-resilient cities. However, there remains a lack of empirical studies on measuring urban resilience, with limited focus on the spatial-temporal characteristics of urban resilience to disasters, particularly relevant in developing nations like China. Thus, a refined urban resilience index to disasters based on the subcomponents of infrastructure, environment, socio-economy, and institution is suggested in this study. This index-based assessment framework is applied and validated to measure the spatial-temporal resilience using a real-world case study in Chengdu, China. The main findings of this study indicate that: (1) the overall urban resilience of Chengdu has been growing toward better conditions, with infrastructural resilience accounting for the majority of this growth. (2) The distribution of urban resilience exhibits a regional disparity and a spatially polarized pattern. (3) The agglomeration characteristics of urban resilience are significant. (4) There is a clear regional mismatch in the distribution of urban resilience to disaster risk. The validated model offers a comprehensive and replicable approach for urban resilience assessment and planning, especially for disaster-frequent regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional hypervisor-assisted virtualization is a leading virtualization technology in data centers, providing cost savings (CapEx and OpEx), high availability, and disaster recovery. However, its inherent overhead may hinder performance and seems not scale or be flexible enough for certain applications, such as microservices, where deploying an application using a virtual machine is a longer and resource-intensive process. Container-based virtualization has received attention, especially with Docker, as an alternative, which also facilitates continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD). Meanwhile, LXD has reactivated the interest in Linux LXC containers, which provides unique operations, including live migration and full OS emulation. A careful analysis of both options is crucial for organizations to decide which best suits their needs. This study revisits key concepts about containers, exposes the advantages and limitations of each container technology, and provides an up-to-date performance comparison between both types of containers (applicational vs. system). Using extensive benchmarks and well-known workload metrics such as CPU scores, disk speed, and network throughput, we assess their performance and quantify their virtualization overhead. Our results show a clear overall trend toward meritorious performance and the maturity of both technologies (Docker and LXD), with low overhead and scalable performance. Notably, LXD shows greater stability with consistent performance variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report presents the findings from the Creative, Community, Wellbeing and Resilience Hub (the Hub) project, a disaster preparation, recovery and resilience initiative developed and run by Blackheath Area Neighbourhood Centre in Blackheath, New South Wales. The aim of the Hub is to combine creative, practical and psychosocial support to develop an integrated, placebased, whole-of-community disaster recovery and preparation model. The Hub project delivered a program of events, workshops and activities on social connectedness, practical support, education (including property preparation before bushfire seasons) and psychosocial and physical wellbeing. The program ran from January 2022 to June 2023 after an initial consultation between June and December 2022. The program was developed in response to recent adverse events, particularly the cumulative toll of numerous natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, and to prepare for future ones. The report found that participants in the Hub program overwhelmingly benefited from participating in the Hub with demonstrable improvements in community connectedness, experiences of belonging, participation in community events and resilience. The Hub is a model for effective community sector organisations disaster preparation, recovery and resilience work. The Hub project also revealed the work these organisations are already doing in emergency and disaster preparation, recovery and resilience as well as their effectiveness and the untapped potential of their long-term funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of the recovery efforts following Cyclone Gabrielle in Northland, New Zealand. The cyclone caused significant damage to infrastructure, farms, and crops, resulting in economic losses. The recovery plan for Northland prioritized community consultation and incorporated the voices and experiences of community members. The article emphasizes the importance of centering communities in recovery efforts and recognizing diverse perspectives and visions for recovery. The text also discusses the use of narrative practice in gathering accounts of events and experiences, highlighting the importance of eliciting personal and community perspectives. The Regional Recovery Plan is innovative in its integration of community voice and commitments from Lifeline Utilities, and it sets recovery priorities and outlines tasks to be undertaken by the councils in the region. The article acknowledges the progress made so far and ongoing efforts in the recovery process. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: Global climate changes, primarily manifested as global warming and rapid urbanization, exacerbate extreme weather events. Statistics indicate that floods are among the most prevalent and catastrophic natural disasters (Safiah Yusmah et al., 2020: 552). Urban floods caused by heavy rainfall have evolved from gradual accumulation to sudden surges (Masozera et al., 2007: 299; Hallegatte et al., 2013: 802). Therefore, urban flood resilience, crucial for flood control and disaster reduction, has garnered increasing research focus (Obrist et al., 2010: 284; Xu et al., 2018: 5298). The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), endorsed by the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015, and the 2018 Beijing Resilient City Development Plan, underscore the importance of enhancing urban resilience to disasters (Sun et al., 2022: 1). To address the growing risk of natural events, it is essential to strengthen capacities that enable vulnerable communities to better prepare for, cope with, and recover from adverse effects. In disaster management literature, this strategy is commonly referred to as resilience. Resilience, when applied to communities, is defined as “the ability of a community to prepare for, plan, absorb, recover, and adapt to actual or potential adverse events in a timely and efficient manner, including rebuilding and improving essential functions and structures.” A resilient community incurs fewer losses and recovers more swiftly from hazardous events (Cutter et al., 2014: 65; Abdali et al., 2022: 6). Theoretical Framework: The concept of resilience originated from Holling’s seminal work in ecology, aimed at understanding the instability and dynamics of nature. According to Holling, resilience is “the measure of a system’s ability to absorb change and disturbance while maintaining the same relationships between populations or state variables.” However, resilience is not simply “the ability of a system to return to equilibrium after a temporary disturbance” (Holling, 1973: 14-17). In ecological literature, two definitions of resilience emerged: one that encompasses continuity, change, and unpredictability in a nonlinear and non-equilibrium system (ecological resilience), and another that focuses on efficiency, stability, and predictability in a single equilibrium system (engineering resilience) (Holling, 1996: 25; Folke, 2006: 256). Engineering resilience emphasizes rapid and efficient recovery post-disturbance, while ecological resilience is about absorbing changes and ensuring continuity (Pickett et al., 2004: 373). Methodology: This study employs a combined multi-criteria decision-making approach using the Analytic Network Process (ANP), DEMATEL technique, and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE). The DEMATEL-ANP model identifies internal relationships between indicators, allowing for pairwise comparisons and weight evaluation, while PROMETHEE ranks solutions based on their proximity to the ideal solution, with the best solution being closest to the ideal point (Chen et al., 2011: 909; Chiu et al., 2013: 49; Thor et al., 2013: 27; Ju et al., 2015: 348-349). Results and Discussion: Resilience in Khorramabad exhibits a clear spatial pattern, with higher resilience in affluent upper city areas and lower resilience in less affluent lower city areas. This disparity highlights the inequitable distribution of urban facilities and services, emphasizing the need for equitable development and access to vital resources. Economic resilience is surprisingly lower in the city’s economic center due to deteriorated infrastructure and the residence of lower socioeconomic strata. Institutional resilience is higher in central areas, benefiting from the concentration of governmental, private, and grassroots organizations. Peripheral areas suffer from inadequate infrastructure, resulting in lower overall resilience. Social capital resilience lacks a specific spatial pattern, with most areas rated as medium to low, indicating weak community connections. Environmental resilience shows that city center areas are more prone to flooding, while higher resilience is observed in different parts of the city, possibly due to land permeability and river positions. Comparative analysis reveals that regions 1, 4, 7, 13, and 17 have the lowest resilience, while regions 23 and 14 rank high. This analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of resilience levels at the city scale, identifying areas requiring further intervention. Conclusion: Mapping the results reveals distinct spatial patterns of resilience and identifies hotspots needing more intervention. Central and western regions, with lower resilience, require more attention. Environmental and infrastructural factors are key, directly relating to land use and planning. The findings can assist Khorramabad’s urban planning organizations in integrating disaster resilience into urban planning, transforming reactive plans into proactive adaptation strategies. Additionally, identifying potential hotspots can aid emergency management institutions in effective disaster risk management. Enhancing social resilience is crucial for community capacity building to prepare for, respond to, and adapt to climate change impacts, guiding local stakeholders in fostering fair development and equitable resource access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores enhancing the resilience of electric and natural gas networks against extreme events like windstorms and wildfires by integrating parts of the electric power transmissions into the natural gas pipeline network, which is less vulnerable. We propose a novel integrated energy system planning strategy that can enhance the systems' ability to respond to such events. Our strategy unfolds in two stages. Initially, we devise expansion strategies for the interdependent networks through a detailed tri-level planning model, including transmission, generation, and market dynamics within a deregulated electricity market setting, formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem. Subsequently, we assess the impact of extreme events through worst-case scenarios, applying previously determined network configurations. Finally, the integrated expansion planning strategies are evaluated using real-world test systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing disaster risk reduction (DRR) and community resilience are fundamental for sustainable development. However, cultural and political‐institutional barriers hinder governments from progressing towards sustainability. We propose a redesign of social impact assessment (SIA) to make it more applicable to the field of regional and urban planning, and we discuss the role SIA can have in enhancing community resilience to achieve DRR and sustainable development in localities. We argue that, to convert SIA into a tool that can inform regional recovery and development planning, a rethinking of SIA and of the role of SIA practitioners is needed. We therefore expound the SIA Framework for Action and we enhance it to be a community‐based process focussed on informing regional policies and plans and decisions about the projects to be included in such plans. Application of the SIA Framework for Action will help governments overcome the barriers to DRR and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UN Sendai Framework recognized the need for making our communities safer and more resilient to disasters by shifting policy goals from "managing disasters" to disaster risk reduction (DRR) and building resilience. For DRR and building community resilience to disaster shocks, this study posits that social learning, a process of mutual development and sharing knowledge through iterative reflections on experience, is key to changing the conventional linear logic‐based, reactive framework into one based on learning‐by‐doing (adaptive management). Toward this end, a three‐round Policy Delphi process was pursued with a combination of 18 international DRR and SES (social–ecological systems) resilience scholars, practitioners, and public officials. Weak policy frameworks; operational, cultural and educational/training silos; and domination of technical knowledge were identified as major challenges in knowledge and learning transmission. Balancing technical knowledge with social science, and working toward transdisciplinary approaches and transformative practices should, therefore, be nurtured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making reference to recent scholarly discussions on neoliberalism and disaster recovery, in this paper I discuss how the implemented neoliberal doctrines of governance have reinforced the existing asymmetrical power relationships between the state, international agencies and citizens. This process constitutes a major barrier to achieving sustainable recovery after the 2015 Nepal earthquake. In particular, three issues, namely the risk of disempowering local communities' capacity, lack of commitment to long‐term recovery, and commodification of the recovery process, have resulted that the recovery policy basically favours the interests of international donors, and NGOs, not those of local communities. To achieve sustainable recovery, post disaster interventions must be socially inclusive. Local affected communities should be meaningfully engaged, and that social learning and sustainability transformation should be enabled as these are key processes at the core of community resilience and of any community resilience‐building strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing community capacity towards resilience is key to reducing climate disaster risk, especially in Black immigrant communities in Canada. While there are many extreme climate change events occurring, such as hailstorms, floods, snowstorms, forest fires, droughts, and heat waves in western Canada, there is no known study that has explored resilience within sub‐Saharan African immigrant communities to climate disaster risks in western Canada. All these extreme climate change events have devastated Black populations threatening their ability to cope with disaster risks. Following a decolonial phenomenology methodological framework research approach; our study explores sub‐Saharan African immigrant communities' adaptation strategies to address climate disaster risk in western Canada. In this research, our main purpose was to investigate whether community resilience strategies implemented by the two provinces (Saskatchewan and Alberta) meet the unique needs of sub‐Saharan African Immigrants. By exploring local communities' perspectives on climate change, we highlighted the relevance of inclusivity in climate capacity building to reduce disaster risk and cope with climate change‐related disasters in the localities. Our findings revealed that personal experiences with climate change risks significantly influenced communities' strength and resilience and contributed to their resilience strategies. We view this paper as a first step in developing a community‐led climate change resilience research agenda that will have a practical application for the community in the face of climate change in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing techniques have emerged as an essential tool for conducting damage assessments and are commonly used to improve disaster recovery planning and community resilience policies. The objective of this study was to use aerial imagery data and LiDAR to identify the hardest hit areas, quantify the extent of damages, and compare pre- and post-storm beach morphology conditions in Estero Island, Florida, relating to Hurricane Ian in 2022. This study identified >2400 structures that were impacted by Hurricane Ian, with 170 structures suffering extensive damage. Clustering of heavily damaged buildings was observed on the northern and central portions of the island, with lower levels of damage clustered on the southern part. Among the 'severely damaged' and 'destroyed' structures were seven mobile home subdivisions. The total assessed value of the heavily damaged structures was estimated at over USD 200 million. The results also indicated substantial post-storm debris and sand deposition across the entire island. Remote sensing provides advanced techniques that can help prioritize emergency response efforts after catastrophic impacts from a natural disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document introduces a special issue of the International Journal of Disaster Risk Science that focuses on promoting the engagement of older adults in disaster settings. It acknowledges the challenges posed by increasing extreme events and an aging population, as well as the disproportionate impact of disasters on older adults. The special issue includes articles that explore older adults' contributions to the entire disaster cycle, including insights from various disasters such as COVID-19. It also features research from Canada, which can be a valuable reference for international efforts. The document concludes by highlighting the methodological advancements in engaging older adults in disaster-related efforts. The authors express gratitude to the organizations that funded the research. [Extracted from the article]