Factors Affecting Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Using the Community Capitals Framework

The role of the natural environment in disaster recovery: “We live here because we love the bush”

“…As noted earlier, commonly used theoretical models developed for understanding disaster recovery have generally emphasised the importance of social and economic capitals (or closely related factors such as political and human capital) for underpinning resilience (see for example Abramson et al, 2014;Aldrich, 2012;Norris et al, 2008). Disaster scholars who have included a focus on place attachment have tended to describe the natural environment as a resource that is important primarily for supporting or disrupting social and/or economic interests (Cox and Perry, 2011;Himes-Cornell et al, 2018;Lawther, 2016;Stedman and Ingalls, 2014). Our findings build on but diverge from this place-attachment disaster-recovery literature, strongly suggesting that the natural environment appeared to have a deep personal significance for individuals over and above any role as a site for social connections or economic activity.…”

“…They too however, argue that place attachment is fundamentally social and cultural suggesting that 'biophysical components of place are important, in many cases necessary, [but they] are not sufficient alone to engender meaningful place-attachment' (Stedman and Ingalls, 2014, p.134). Applying a seven-element community capitals framework (natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial, and built) to analysis of disaster preparedness, response and recovery, Himes Cornell and colleagues treat natural capital as a resource that is primarily important for its economic value in supporting livelihoods (Himes-Cornell et al, 2018). Mayunga and colleagues (2007) include natural capital in a five-element model, arguing that it sustains all forms of life and provides protection from weather-related hazards such as storms and floods.…”

How effective have localised community actions and targeted messaging about policy decisions been?

“…Using Khan et al (2008) we identify key stages: before a disaster (pre-disaster including prevention and preparedness); during a disaster (disaster occurrence including response) and after a disaster (post-disaster and recovery). There is an underlying objective of enhancing community resilience to all types of major catastrophes (Himes-Cornell et al, 2018). (Khan et al, 2008, p. 47) Disaster Management Academics across the range of public administration literature are exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on institutions, management and governance (Capano et al, 2020;Dunlop et al, 2020;Henrickson, 2020;O'Flynn, 2020).…”

The Community Diagnostics and Social Impact Toolkit: Development and Validation of a Reliable Measure

“…It has also been employed in a study of childhood obesity (Flora & Gillespie, 2009) and rural business and entrepreneurship (Bosworth & Turner, 2018). Other researchers have used the framework to evaluate community response and recovery efforts following natural and man-made disasters (Himes-Cornell et al, 2018;Stofferahn, 2012). Conversely, the CCF has also been employed in a review of how community capitals are affected by the sudden and positive economic reorientation seen in boomtowns (Anderson, 2014).…”