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A needs-based approach for exploring vulnerability and response to disaster risk in rural communities in low income countries

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dc.contributor.author Yawson, David Oscar
dc.contributor.author Adu, Michael Osei
dc.contributor.author Armah, Frederick Ato
dc.contributor.author Kusi, Joseph
dc.contributor.author Ansah, Isaac Gershon
dc.contributor.author Chiroro, Canford
dc.date.accessioned 2021-03-23T19:33:16Z
dc.date.available 2021-03-23T19:33:16Z
dc.date.issued 2015
dc.identifier.issn 23105496
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/5157
dc.description 10p:, ill. en_US
dc.description.abstract Vulnerability assessment and reduction are now central to developing a holistic and integrated approach to disaster risk reduction, including mitigating the effects of a disaster. Pre-existing frameworks for mapping vulnerability and planning response to disasters do not completely fit the realities of rural communities in low income countries where most people informally organize their own livelihoods, resources, space, security and response to disasters according to their needs and capacities. Livelihood activities are undertaken to satisfy needs. Hence, understanding needs of people and communities in this context can help unravel vulnerability and response capacity to disaster risks. This paper therefore applied a needs-based approach to explore and analyze the vulnerability of two rural communities in northern Ghana to flood risk. A survey was done, using a semi-structured questionnaire, to collect data immediately after the flood in 2007. Based on ranking of needs, the results show that survival and security needs (mainly food, housing, education and reliable income) were dominant before and after the flood. During the flood, however, survival and empathic needs were more important. The results also show the disconnection between institutional frameworks for disaster management and the needs of the communities and, therefore, show a scope for policy and research in disaster management. However, in the context of sustainability, economic needs (dominated by income) were slightly greater than environmental needs (dominated by drainage, water and sanitation and relocation) which, in turn, were higher than social needs (dominated by health and education). Interestingly, most respondents indicated that a reliable source of income was a prerequisite for satisfying social needs in the short term and environmental needs in the long-term. It is concluded that the approach used in this research is simple, intuitive and easy to apply to map vulnerabilities to disaster risk across multiple scales. It is also easy to integrate into policy and management decisions about disaster risk reduction en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher University of Cape Coast en_US
dc.subject Vulnerability en_US
dc.subject Flood risk en_US
dc.subject Disaster response en_US
dc.subject Needs-based approach en_US
dc.subject Northern Ghana en_US
dc.subject Low income en_US
dc.title A needs-based approach for exploring vulnerability and response to disaster risk in rural communities in low income countries en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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