If Only We Knew What We Know: Factors for Mobilizing Citizen Participation in Community-based Emergency Preparedness

Abstract

Emergency management typically consists of four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Citizen participation is recognized as key to these four phases, and local governments are responsible for promoting authentic citizen participation in all phases. Many studies have asserted the importance of citizen participation in improving the capabilities of community-based emergency response and recovery, yet studies on citizen activities and participation in the pre-disaster process are relatively limited. In practice, increasing citizen preparedness for disasters has presented a challenge to local emergency management agencies. In Taiwan, the approaches employed by local emergency management agencies for mobilizing citizens to participate in emergency management activities are often considered in isolation from their other administrative duties. To fill this gap, this study examines factors for mobilizing citizens in disaster exercises from the perspective of local fire branch heads. Using survey data collected from Southern Taiwan in 2013, we found that the capacity of local fire branches to provide emergency communications and information delivery, as well as pre-disaster risk assessment and alert systems, is critical for enhancing citizen participation in the local emergency preparedness process.

In the Twilight Zone of Collaborative Disaster Prevention? Te Experience of Flood Control in Different Levels of Government in Taiwan

“…Literature on disaster management in Taiwan has addressed the importance of collaboration (Kuo, Wang, Chang, & Li, 2015;Wu, Chang, & Collins, 2015;Wu, Chang, & Tso, 2016). In the case of flood control in Taiwan, according to Articles 18 and 19 of the Local Government Act, the rectification and management of rivers, the conservation of catchment areas, and the construction and management of flood-prevention and drainage systems in the special municipality and county or city are local government affairs.…”