Risk of a disaster: Risk knowledge, interpretation and resilience

Abstract

Context of the research'Disaster risk' is often defined as the proclivity to be impacted by natural hazards. The possibility of being impacted by a disaster arises from the interaction between existing vulnerability and local hazards (Blaikie et al. 2014). Whilst inappropriate social and development policies contribute Knowledge and interpretation of local risks are essential in disaster mitigation. Auckland's exposure to multiple hazards is a source of national concern. Considering the multiplicity of natural hazards in Auckland, investigations on how communities can enhance their resilience to possible disasters have become imperative. Convincing individuals to embark on activities that would reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards is difficult, especially in communities that have not recently experienced the impact of natural hazards. This research investigated risk knowledge and interpretation in the South African community in Auckland. Data for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources. A questionnaire was distributed amongst the South African population, and follow-up interviews with participants constituted the primary sources of data collection. Other sources were materials in the public domain. Regarding data analysis, an independent-sample t-test and Spearman's correlation analysis were used to analyse the quantitative research data. A general inductive approach for qualitative data was used to analyse the research interviews. The research confirmed the subjectivity in risk perception and also revealed a high-risk perception, especially for earthquake, flood and tsunami. Whilst this study agreed that there is a relationship between risk perception and preparedness, such relationship is often contextual. The research concludes that risk perception could contribute to disaster resilience if communities appreciate the impact of a natural hazard irrespective of disaster experience or otherwise.

Pengetahuan Rumah Tangga Terhadap Bencana Alam Di Indonesia

“…Pengetahuan bencana seharusnya sesuai dengan risiko bencana aktual yang dihadapi rumah tangga. Penelitian sebelumnya menemukan bahwa rumah tangga yang tinggal di daerah dengan risiko bencana tinggi lebih menyadari adanya risiko bencana di lingkungannya (Saqib et al, 2016;Odiase et al, 2020), namun penelitian lain menemukan hal tersebut tidak mutlak karena pengetahuan lebih ditentukan oleh kapasitas rumah tangga, seperti pendidikan dan informasi yang diperoleh (Cretikos et al, 2008).…”

“…Koefisien bernilai positif menunjukkan bahwa probabilitas rumah tangga memiliki pengetahuan kerawanan bencana alam akan lebih tinggi jika tinggal di daerah dengan tingkat risiko bencana alam yang tinggi. Hasil estimasi ini sesuai dengan penelitian Odiase et al, (2020) dan Saqib et al, (2016) yang menemukan bahwa individu atau rumah tangga yang tinggal di daerah berisiko tinggi terjadi bencana alam memiliki pengetahuan kebencanaan yang lebih baik.…”

Population Preparedness for Disasters and Extreme Weather Events as a Predictor of Building a Resilient Society: The Slovak Republic

“…The common denominators are thus the knowledge and capacities (including the skills). It is undisputable that the knowledge of certain factors, activities and processes can help improve the prevention and also the reaction and activities connected with recovery after the crisis event [ 52 ]. A close linkage or subordination with the aspect “knowledge” can be seen also in the case of other authors primarily with the aspects of the risk or disaster “perception” [ 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ] and “awareness” [ 59 , 60 , 61 ].…”

“…The higher the preparedness level, the higher the resilience and the higher the vulnerability, the lower the resilience [ 102 ]. Thus, the discussed preparedness aspects (risk perception, awareness, disaster experience, as well as different forms of the capacities) could contribute to enhancing the disaster resilience [ 52 , 102 ] and are of the main interest of the survey conducted.…”

Disaster Risk in Underground Utility Development: A Matter of Perception

“…Risk perception involves judging a person on the probability of threat or hazard concerning their environment and the consequences of a negative outcome (Oghenetega et al, 2020). Several studies on different types of disaster such as climate change (Linden, 2014), landslides (Alcántara-Ayala and Moreno, 2016), natural disasters (Odiase et al, 2020), COVID-19 epidemic (Dryhurst et al, 2020), and earthquake (Xu et al, 2020) have indicated that pass or personal experience with disaster event is a significant predictor of disaster risk perceptions.…”