An increase in the frequency of extreme weather events is putting extra pressure on communities that find themselves getting hit repeatedly by storms, flooding, and other disasters. While these communities have taken steps to mitigate these disasters, and minimize loss of life, there are questions as to whether they can keep up with rebuilding, or whether it’s better for them to instead rethink the nature of their communities’ vulnerability, according to an article in The Conversation.
Historically, disasters have been framed as oddities and aberrations – events where a city may be temporarily overwhelmed by events, but after which it can return to normal operation. Instead, researchers argue conditions are changing such that many communities and groups now find themselves under a perpetual state of disaster as the time between these extreme events shortens. Instead of attempting to address these disasters independently, the argument goes that these repeated disasters need to be considered as part of a unified system, with a focus on how to protect the vulnerable in affected regions.
Doing so will require significant changes in both the nature of these communities, as it will reshape where people live, to keep them out of areas of greatest risk, and in how they’re run, as increased effort is put on engaging members of vulnerable groups and local leaders get increased authority to guide local development.
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