Table 3 Elements of community resilience
Elements | Description |
|---|---|
Local knowledge | Knowledge that the community possesses about its existing vulnerabilities, which, if addressed prior to a disaster, can improve community resilience This includes: • Factual knowledge base, which relates to knowledge and information acquired in relation to a disaster • Training and education, which is about practices in community education to teach how to respond effectively to an emergency • Collective efficacy and empowerment, which relate to the community’s shared belief in its ability to overcome potential hardships caused by a disaster |
Community networks and relationships | The connectedness and cohesiveness of community members during a crisis. Connectedness, also called ‘social network’ can be examined through linkages within a community. Cohesiveness can be based on these linkages and are described as weak or strong ties. Factors like trust and shared values can improve ties and consequently community resilience |
Communication | Communication includes: • Effective communication: this means that the community has opportunities for open dialogue and has established infrastructure that could be coordinated in a pre- or post-disaster setting • Risk communication: this deals with the provision of accurate and culturally acceptable information about possible threats • Crisis communication: this includes the provision of up-to-date information about the ongoing impact and relief efforts in real-time using traditional and social media |
Health | Health encompasses the pre-existing health of a community and the delivery of health services after a disaster. Health services include short-term and long-term delivery of quality physical and mental health services, which can be improved through training and capacity-building at the hospital and facility level to handle mass casualties |
Governance | Governance focus on how communities coordinate and handle emergencies. This includes: • Infrastructure and services: this relates to whether the community has effective, efficient and capable infrastructure and services to handle crises; for example, infrastructure should be able to handle incoming information about an emergency and send instructions and implement a response during and after a disaster • Public involvement and support: a community’s involvement in strategic planning, response and recovery as they relate to the uniqueness and aspirations of the community |
Resources | Resources include tangible supplies (food, water, first aid kits), technical resources (shelter, automobiles, machinery) and even financial as well as social resources |