Geographies of Community Resilience, Response and Recovery to Natural Hazards, Dr. Iraphne Childs and Dr. Peter Hastings, University of Queensland

School of Geography, Planning & Environmental Management

The geography of community resilience to hazards & disasters

Dr Peter Hastings



• Resilience – new direction in disaster management

• What makes a community resilient?

• Applying a geographical perspective to investigate the resilience of places


Community Resilience – what is it?

Resilience – the ability to “spring back from” an incident or disaster (resist, absorb, accommodate to, recover & emerge stronger)

Determined by the degree to which the community has the necessary resources and is capable of organising itself both prior to & during times of need… (UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction; UNISDR)



The flip-side… Vulnerability

“The conditions determined by physical, social, economic and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards.”

(National Emergency Risk Assessment Guidelines)



• Resilient Communities:– Function well while under stress– Can successfully adapt (adaptive capacity)– Are self-sufficient– Have social capacity– Understand the risks– Plan for emergencies, coordinate & participate– Engage appropriate landuse planning

(adapted from NEMC 2011)


How resilient to hazardsis this place?

How resilient to hazards are these people/communities?

Place/community imagery


• Place/community based

• Analyses of physical & cultural landscape interaction

• Spatial analysis (accessibility, networks, relative location, risk, landuse, regional contrasts, landscape change/ adaptation, relative disadvantage, social capital, sustainibility etc.)

Analysing disaster resilience facilitates good geography


How Vulnerable/ Resilient is this Place?

• You have been asked to make an “all hazards” assessment…

• What observable characteristics of a place would you look at to indicate –

(a) vulnerability & (b) resilience?


How Resilient is this Place?

Landscape Element Vulnerability Indicators Resilience Indicators

People/ Demography e.g. high% aged ?

Environment e.g. floodplain ?

Economy ? ?

Public Admin. ? e.g. DM planning

Social Setting ? ?

Infrastructure ? ?


How Resilient is this Place? – The Gap, Brisbane

Imagery: Google Earth

The Gap, Brisbane – Emergency ServicesImagery: Google Earth


Source: http://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/Bushfire%20Planning/index.htmlRural Fire Service – Queensland Government


http://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/Bushfire%20Planning/index.html



Source: http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/community/community-safety/disasters-and-emergencies/types-of-disasters/flooding/understanding-your-flood-risk/flood-flag-map/index.htmBrisbane City Council


http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/community/community-safety/disasters-and-emergencies/types-of-disasters/flooding/understanding-your-flood-risk/flood-flag-map/index.htm




The Gap (suburb), 2006 Census, ABS

Source: www.abs.gov.au Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census

http://www.abs.gov.au/


Source: www.abs.gov.au Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census

http://www.abs.gov.au/

• Informal community• Abject poverty• At risk

How Resilient is this Place? – Be careful!

Imizamo Yethu, South Africa




• Resilience – new emphasis in disaster management

• What makes a community resilient?

• Applying a geographical perspective to investigate the resilience of places

Some resources* The National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) 2011, National Strategy for Disaster Resilience, building our nation’s resilience to disasters.Available online: http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2011-02-13/docs/national_strategy_disaster_resilience.pdf

Handmer, J 2003, ‘We are all vulnerable’, The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, vol. 18, no 3, pp.55-60.Available online: http://www.em.gov.au/Documents/We%20are%20all%20Vulnerable.pdf

Harte, EW, Childs, IRW and Hastings, PA 2009, ‘Imizamo Yethu: a case study of community resilience to fire hazard in an informal settlement Cape Town, South Africa’, Geographical Research, vol.47 Issue 2, pp.142–154. Available online:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-5871.2008.00561.x/abstract;jsessionid=73163EF7B3AE4A0BA71C10D19B61F645.d02t01

National Emergency Management Committee, 2010, National Emergency Risk Assessment Guidelines, Tasmanian State Emergency Service, Hobart. (NERAG). Available online:http://www.em.gov.au/Publications/Program%20publications/Pages/NationalEmergencyRiskAssessmentGuidelines.aspxBrisbane Flood Mapping: http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/community/community-safety/disasters-and-emergencies/types-of-disasters/flooding/understanding-your-flood-risk/flood-flag-map/index.htm

Queensland Rural Fire Service Mapping: http://www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/Bushfire%20Planning/index.html


http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2011-02-13/docs/national_strategy_disaster_resilience.pdf

http://www.em.gov.au/Documents/We%20are%20all%20Vulnerable.pdf

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-5871.2008.00561.x/abstract;jsessionid=73163EF7B3AE4A0BA71C10D19B61F645.d02t01

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-5871.2008.00561.x/abstract;jsessionid=73163EF7B3AE4A0BA71C10D19B61F645.d02t01

http://www.em.gov.au/Publications/Program%20publications/Pages/NationalEmergencyRiskAssessmentGuidelines.aspx








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Geographies of Community Resilience, Response and Recovery to Natural Hazards, Dr. Iraphne Childs and Dr. Peter Hastings, University of Queensland