A critical analysis of the impact of effective local governance on disaster vulnerability, emergency management and community resilience
Date
2023-12-14
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
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
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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,
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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 ?