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The importance of connected communities to flood resilience Neil Dufty, Molino Stewart Pty Ltd

The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

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Research has shown the importance of social capital in disaster resilience. This presentation examines the implications of this for emergency managers and the use of social media in social capital formation related to disasters.

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Page 1: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

Neil Dufty, Molino Stewart Pty Ltd

Page 2: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

let’s start with a poemLOST IN CYBERSPACEIs there anyone out there? I am calling from afarCan anybody answer?Quiet is becoming par. I’m seeking cyber-friendsOnes who will always postMy site I will always tendTo become the perfect host. Ah, words start to fill the voidA message from a ‘friend’?Annoyed to being buoyedThis is a better trend. Oh, reading the mail from this otherI find it is only from my mother. ………………..BACK TO THE POEM LATER

Page 3: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

a flood resilience framework

Floodplain risk management

Community development

Emergency management

Page 4: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

community development

Community development

Psychology: how people behave

Education: how people learn

Sociology: how people connect

Page 5: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

connected communities

Page 6: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

social capital

‘Social capital is the networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit’ (Putnam, 1995)

Page 7: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

types of social capital

Page 8: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

social capital and resilience Major studies:• 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami• 2010 Haiti earthquake• Hurricane Katrina• Other major disasters

Page 9: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

value of social capital‘Despite different time periods, cultures, government capacities, and levels of development, all four cases showed that areas with more social capital made effective and efficient recoveries from crises through coordinated efforts and cooperative activities’ (Aldrich, 2012)

Page 10: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

how it works• Deep levels of social capital serve as informal

insurance and promote mutual assistance after a disaster.

• Dense and numerous social ties help survivors solve collective action problems that stymie rehabilitation.

• Strong social ties strengthen the voices of survivors and decrease the probability of leaving.

Page 11: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

now back to the poemHowever, like the poem, on the downside:• although high levels of social capital reduced

barriers to collective action for those in networked organisations, at the same time social capital reinforced obstacles to recovery for those outside of these organisations

Page 12: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

and what about Victoria? • Social research in recent floods – indications of social capital• Community strength survey (source: DPCD)

Indicator Victoria Regional Victoria Metropolitan Melbourne

Can get help when needed (‘bonding social capital’)

91% 92% 91%

Membership of organised groups (‘bridging social capital’)

61% 64% 59%

Participation in organised sport (‘bridging social capital’)

41% 43% 40%

Volunteering (‘linking social capital’)

33% 43% 28%

On decision-making board or committee (‘linking social capital’)

19% 23% 17%

)

Page 13: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

social mediaStudy of social media use in 2011 floods (OESC)• Bonding social capital (e.g. lending support to friends and

family)• Bridging social capital (e.g. people offering help during

recovery)• Linking social capital (e.g. volunteering help, providing real-

time information called ‘crowdsourcing’)

Page 14: The importance of connected communities to flood resilience

implications• Strengthen community flood networks in addition to

volunteering e.g. through policy making, capacity building• Mitigation and recovery plans should help enhance social

capital• Community education should not just concentrate on learning

for individual preparedness (e.g. emergency plans) but also on learning to build different types of social capital (e.g. ‘help a neighbour’)

• Social media should be further developed to help form social capital before, during and after a disaster

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a final thought

Like two individuals exposed to the same disease, recovery may have more to do with the quality of the host than the nature of the disease (Aldrich, 2008)

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Question And Answer

Thank you