A critical analysis of the impact of effective local governance on disaster vulnerability, emergency management and community resilience

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Date

2023-12-14

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Saudi Digital Library

Abstract

A review of the literature surrounding Hounslow Council ’s governance and crisis emergency disaster risk management has highlighted particular issues; refugees and migration , migration, external support s, building regulations, relationship between the state and people, and community resilience. These issues have been discussed individually, however it is important to look at how these factors are intertwined and linked together, as ‘Vulnerability to disaster risk can be tackled only by treating them as a complex condition built up over the long-term and rooted in life routines’ (Wisner, 2011, p.8). This will help to understand the impact of governance on disaster risk management, people’s vulnerability and resilience to crisis and emergency . Weak governance and prevailing poverty has led to refugees and migration and the depletion of agriculture in rural areas, and alongside uneven international investments, has led to unequal development in the cities in the UK. These factors have caused further vulnerabilities in terms of poor social infrastructure and housing, as well as exacerbating inequalities; both within communities. Furthermore, these conditions in the council, as well as a lack of other government’s regulations. In the aftermath of 39 crisis and emergency , as people are often injured, homeless and struggling, they are in need of external support and evidence suggests in Hounslow Council was inadequate in this role. This has resulted in problems in building resilience for people, with a reliance on civil or other aids, contributing to a reliance and lack of self sufficiency in disaster risk management. However, a lack of governmental relationship or regulations has forced Hounslow Council and to work collectively to improve and there was a community-built resilience seen after the crisis and emergency . These aforementioned factors from relevant literature of Hounslow Council demonstrates the strong impact that governance has had on disaster risk management in the country; and has led to ‘social constructions of extreme vulnerability’ (Oliver Smith, 2020, p.35) and resilience, and demonstrate how intertwined and complex these impacts can be. It is true to say that Hounslow Council has suffered greatly at the hands of natural hazards over recent years, and these impacts have been heavily exacerbated by governance, both historically and in the present day. The emergency and COVID 19 demonstrated shortcomings in disaster emergency and crisis risk management in Hounslow Council , with extreme vulnerabilities revealed in local government response which further highlighted a lack of progress in management strategies, as people were affected due to continued vulnerabilities. There remained an absence of a more unified, strategic, long-term approach to building the resilience of the Hounslow Council and its people and between governance agencies. Housings remained inadequate, and communication to affected citizens was, again, limited; confirming the lack of relationship that prevails in Hounslow Council . Returning to the research’s conceptual approach, it is crucial to understand natural hazards and human interaction with the event as crucial to the severity of the disaster. As a result, the discussion of global literature and Hounslow Council -specific literature, 40 has demonstrated human actions greatly impact crisis and emergency . Improving governance would positively impact the resilience of people at the community level and reduce vulnerabilities. Strategies to combat development return us to the global literature of emergency crisis and disaster risk management which sees successful methods of reducing risk addressing underlying socio-economic vulnerabilities, through engaging both governance agencies and citizens in disaster risk reduction efforts. Competent, transparent and joint governance is the most effective way to achieve this and would significantly benefit crisis and emergency disaster risk management in Hounslow Council .

Description

There is a disconnect between the state and citizens in Hounslow Council, which influences the resilience of people during crisis and emergency, as coordination becomes difficult, and tensions are further strained during upheaval. The lack of relationship became clear during the aftermath of crisis and emergency, as the was a lack of contact to citizens, with Oliver-Smith (2010) states that many Hounslow Council and were largely unaware of the risk they had to disaster and emergency and extreme weather events, so they failed to prepare sufficiently. With a lack of information provided to them by the government, people were forced to response independently without support from the state, which without comprehensive education and knowledge was dangerous.

Keywords

1-. How does governance impact on disaster risk management in Hounslow Council ? 2. How does local governance affect the vulnerability and resilience of people in Hounslow Council ? 3. How do aspects of governance intertwine with one another to impact disaster outcomes in Hounslow Council ?

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