From Top-Down to “Community-Centric” Approaches to Early Warning Systems: Exploring Pathways to Improve Disaster Risk Reduction Through Community Participation

Marie-Ange Baudoin; Sarah Henly-Shepard; Nishara Fernando; Asha Sitati; Zinta Zommers

doi:10.1007/s13753-016-0085-6

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Article Navigation > International Journal of Disaster Risk Science > 2016 > 7(2): 163-174

Marie-Ange Baudoin, Sarah Henly-Shepard, Nishara Fernando, Asha Sitati, Zinta Zommers. From Top-Down to “Community-Centric” Approaches to Early Warning Systems: Exploring Pathways to Improve Disaster Risk Reduction Through Community Participation[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2016, 7(2): 163-174. doi: 10.1007/s13753-016-0085-6

Citation:

Marie-Ange Baudoin, Sarah Henly-Shepard, Nishara Fernando, Asha Sitati, Zinta Zommers. From Top-Down to “Community-Centric” Approaches to Early Warning Systems: Exploring Pathways to Improve Disaster Risk Reduction Through Community Participation[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2016, 7(2): 163-174. doi: 10.1007/s13753-016-0085-6

Citation:

Marie-Ange Baudoin, Sarah Henly-Shepard, Nishara Fernando, Asha Sitati, Zinta Zommers. From Top-Down to “Community-Centric” Approaches to Early Warning Systems: Exploring Pathways to Improve Disaster Risk Reduction Through Community Participation[J]. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2016, 7(2): 163-174. doi: 10.1007/s13753-016-0085-6

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From Top-Down to “Community-Centric” Approaches to Early Warning Systems: Exploring Pathways to Improve Disaster Risk Reduction Through Community Participation

doi: 10.1007/s13753-016-0085-6

1 African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa;
2 Consortium for Capacity Building, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research(INSTAAR), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA;
3 Disaster Resilience L. L. C., Honolulu, HI 96822, USA;
4 Department of Sociology, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka;
5 Division of Early Warning and Assessment, United Nation Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya

Funds:

This work was initiated during the “Resilience Academy,” which took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in September 2013. The Academy is an initiative of the Munich Re Foundation, the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). The authors, Fellows of the Resilience Academy, wish to thank the organizers of the Resilience Academy for making this study possible, as well as all the participants in the surveys that took place in the case study countries.

Available Online: 2021-04-26

Abstract

Abstract

Natural hazards and their related impacts can have powerful implications for humanity, particularly communities with deep reliance on natural resources. The development of effective early warning systems (EWS) can contribute to reducing natural hazard impacts on communities by improving risk reduction strategies and activities. However, current shortcomings in the conception and applications of EWS undermine risk reduction at the grassroots level. This article explores various pathways to involve local communities in EWS from top-down to more participatory approaches. Based on a literature review and three case studies that outline various levels of participation in EWS in Kenya, Hawai'i, and Sri Lanka, the article suggests a need to review the way EWS are designed and applied, promoting a shift from the traditional expert-driven approach to one that is embedded at the grassroots level and driven by the vulnerable communities. Such a community-centric approach also raises multiple challenges linked to a necessary shift of conception of EWS and highlights the need for more research on pathways for sustainable community engagement.
- Early warning system,
- Hawai'i,
- Kenya,
- Natural hazards,
- Participatory approach,
- Risk preparedness,
- Sri Lanka

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References(54)

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