Development and validation of the Community Disaster Resilience Scale

Climate change is increasingly acknowledged to be one of the most important current global challenges. Thus societies and communities vulnerable to climate change urgently need approaches and methods to assess and design strategies for building resilience. A number of reviews of the resilience concept and its applicability in reducing disaster risks and uncertain impacts arising from climate change exist. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of resilience through the systematic review and analysis of existing resilience definitions and frameworks, and the documentation of ‘on-the-ground’ experiences from resilience building initiatives in the context of natural hazards. We contend that a comprehensive and effective disaster resilience framework needs to incorporate fundamental elements of sustainable development, disaster risk reduction and community engagement. In addition, it needs to go beyond the specification of concrete outcomes to describing the process by which the initial resilience status can be identified, and the goals for each element can be established. Conceptualising resilience building as a process is important to enable the monitoring and evaluation of progress towards desired goals. Five of 13 reviewed frameworks include these two important aspects: Climate Resilient Cities of the World Bank, Hyogo Framework for Action of UN/ISDR, Coastal Community Resilience of US/IOTWS, Community and Safety Resilience of IFRC and Characteristics of Disaster Resilient Community of DFID.

Crises and disasters are windows of opportunity to learn and transform toward enhancing disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience. However, a poor understanding of community resilience and the social dimensions of risk, the lack of a methodology to engage and empower resilience in society, and business‐as‐usual together limit the implementation of effective DRR and resilience‐building strategies. In this reflection paper, we discuss the main elements of the DRR and resilience paradigm. By analyzing the failures in disaster management, we identified the cultural and political barriers to enhancing DRR and community resilience as being: a paternalistic social protection culture; and the command‐and‐control approach to knowledge and resources for risk reduction. We reflect on the implications of this for sustainable development and argue that building a glocal culture of community wellbeing and resilience and a socially sustainable risk governance is needed to overcome the cultural and political barriers to DRR and sustainable development.

Community disaster resilience in Brazilian small urban centers

This research aims to analyse the relationship between Individual Resilience, as measured by the CD-RISC-10 scale (Campbell and Stein, 2007) and Community Resilience, as measured by the Index of Perceived Community Resilience (IPCR, Kulig et al., 2013), in a sample of 387 people living on the island of Bali (Indonesia). The population of this area regularly faces the consequences of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and severe floods. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the IPCR was carried out, which confirmed the multidimensional structure of Community Resilience originally proposed by its authors. Results also showed that there is a positive and moderate correlation between Individual and Community Resilience. Specifically, regression analysis showed that the three Community Resilience factors explain 32% of Individual Resilience, although Leadership followed by Community Engagement are the two factors that provide the most explanatory power.

Building sustainable and resilient societies is a multidimensional challenge that affects achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In crises and disasters, civil protection authorities typically use emergency powers and a command-and-control approach to manage resources and to design and implement disaster management interventions. They centralise knowledge, technologies and responsibilities for prevention, mitigation and monitoring, while stifling the capacities of local communities to reduce disaster risks and impacts. The mechanism they enact leads to a poor understanding of the capacities of local people to learn and transform, and of how community wellbeing, vulnerabilities, and resilience influence disaster risks. The mechanism does not strengthen the role of local communities in disaster risk reduction. Instead, it facilitates disaster capitalism at all levels of society. Drawing on the disaster risk reduction and resilience paradigm and on our analysis of the disaster management interventions conducted before and after the 6 April 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy, we discuss the main constraints to implementing the four Priority Areas in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: (1) Understanding risk in its multiple dimensions; (2) strengthening disaster risk governance; (3) investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience; and (4) enhancing preparedness and build back better in response, recovery and reconstruction. We discuss how top-down, emergency-centred civil protection approaches create second disasters, and fail in all four priorities. We suggest that shifts in paradigm and investment are required in disaster management and development practice from centralised civil protection systems to decentralised, socially sustainable community empowerment systems.

Implementing the International GNSS Service 2021+ Strategic Plan: Vision and Use Cases

Chapter 29 - Social capital and disaster risk reduction in a periurban context

Community Resilience: Is it Greater than the Sum of the Parts of Individual Resilience?

Since the adoption of the Hyogo Framework for Action in 2005 ‘Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters’, the concept of disaster resilience has attracted substantial attention among researchers and practitioners. Although recent disaster literature refers to resilience as a managerial principle of an effective disaster risk management, there are still critical challenges in making resilience operational and adopting it in planning and decision making. Currently available resilience measurement frameworks are mostly focused on large spatial scales such as sub- national/regional levels and do not meet the local needs of designers and planners, while communities are the focus of mitigation and recovery planning, with unique local socio-economic and physical characteristics, and inherent adaptation potential. More specifically, urban form characteristics are assumed by several studies to contribute to the disaster resilience of communities. However, such an assumption has not been examined empirically and urban form factors are mostly under-represented in the resilience models. In addition, sensitivity, reliability and validity of the resilience models have not been addressed comprehensively, and when it comes to the Australian context, resilience models have not been validated at all. The purpose of this dissertation is to address the above gaps through (1) development of a Neighbourhood Disaster Resilience Index (NDRI) with emphasise on resilience attributes within community elements; and (2) validation of the proposed index (NDRI) by assessing the extent to which it contributes to real-world recovery outcomes and pathways following the 2011 floods in the Brisbane and Ipswich neighbourhoods, using readily available longitudinal reconstruction data.

Conflict deeply affects human experiences, frequently testing individual resilience to its breaking point and leaving enduring psychological and societal wounds. The current conflict in Ukraine, initiated by Russia's invasion in 2022, illustrates this phenomenon by altering regional relationships and triggering a major humanitarian crisis marked by extensive displacement, loss of life, and emotional turmoil. This study explores the factors influencing hope and distress in Ukraine alongside six nearby European countries during the ongoing conflict. A cross-sectional survey collected data primarily via internet panel samples from the Czech Republic, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine in the second year since the war's initiation. The current study utilised validated instruments, collecting data on levels of hope, distress, individual resilience, community resilience, societal resilience, morale, sense of danger, perceived security threats, and demographic characteristics. Hope and distress levels differ across countries, with Ukraine exhibiting the highest levels of both (3.74±1.02 and 2.89±0.87, respectively). Overall, average scores of hope were higher than average distress levels. Across the regression models for the seven countries, hope showed strong associations with individual (between β=0.089 and β=0.327) and societal resilience (between β=0.206 and β=0.514), while morale (between β=-0.104 and β=-0.479) and individual resilience (between β=-0.077 and β=-0.335) displayed a protective relationship against distress (all β values were significant, p<0.01). Monitoring hope and distress is crucial during the Russian-Ukrainian war and other adversities, as these factors give insight into the current and future psychological states of affected populations. The results offer valuable information that can guide the development of tailored strategies to enhance hope and buffer distress in war-impacted countries, as well as those experiencing its broader effects. Fostering individual and societal resilience, alongside enhancing morale, may strengthen hope and mitigate distress amid adversity. Developing targeted interventions that address each population's unique needs, as well as their sociocultural and geopolitical contexts can enhance efficacy.

The ECOSTAND project (no 2023-1-RO01-KA220-SCH-000156665) was a European Union–funded strategic partnership implemented between October 2023 and September 2025, with the aim of strengthening students’ understanding of climate change, natural hazards, and human–environment interactions through meaningful school-based learning. The project was developed in response to the increasing visibility of climate-related hazards and to the need for educational approaches that connect Earth system science with disaster risk reduction and everyday decision-making.Within ECOSTAND, the partners designed and implemented an interdisciplinary educational framework entitled Natural Disasters Response and Climate Action, tailored for secondary school education. The framework brings together key concepts related to climate processes, natural hazards, Earth’s resources, and human impact, and places strong emphasis on inquiry-based and experiential learning. Central project outputs include curriculum-aligned learning modules, methodological guidelines for teachers, and an interactive simulation environment developed using the Minecraft Education platform. This digital environment allows students to explore realistic scenarios involving floods, earthquakes, wildfires, droughts, and extreme weather events, while analysing risk, vulnerability, and response strategies in a safe and engaging context.A core pedagogical principle of the project was the use of simulation-based learning to support systems thinking and to help students make connections between geoscientific concepts and real-world challenges. Classroom implementation focused on active student involvement, collaborative problem-solving, and reflection on the role of human actions in both amplifying and reducing disaster risk. Teachers participating in the project engaged in targeted professional development activities, which supported the effective integration of the ECOSTAND resources into everyday teaching practice.Feedback from classroom implementation and evaluation activities indicates increased student awareness of climate-related hazards, improved understanding of disaster preparedness measures, and greater confidence in discussing complex environmental issues. Teachers reported that the simulation-based approach enhanced student engagement and facilitated meaningful discussions about sustainability and resilience.As a completed project, ECOSTAND offers a practical and transferable model for integrating natural hazards education and climate change topics into secondary school curricula. The project contributes directly to the aims of EOS 5.5 by providing classroom-tested approaches that link Earth science content with human impact, sustainability, and community resilience. Partners in the ECOSTAND project:Colegiul National "Vasile Alecsandri" Iasi, Romania - CoordinatorINDEPCIE SCA, Cordoba, SpainAsociatia DEMETRIUS, Iasi, RomaniaOzel Adalya Anadolu Lisesi, TürkiyeATERMON B.V., Rotterdam, NetherlandsPOWOW SAS Camarsac, FranceIstituto Comprensivo Maneri - Ingrassia - Don Milani, Palermo, Italy

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 highlights education, public awareness, and knowledge sharing as key priorities for strengthening disaster risk governance and building resilient societies (UNDRR). In this context, effective disaster risk reduction requires not only advances in scientific knowledge, but also sustained science-society interaction, inclusive risk communication, and long-term engagement strategies.For about 20 years, the LARES Association - Italian Union of Civil Protection Experts, has been actively committed to promoting a culture of prevention and safety, bridging scientific expertise, civil protection institutions, volunteers, and citizens. LARES operates with the aim of translating scientific knowledge on natural hazards into accessible information and practical behaviours, in line with the Sendai Framework’s emphasis on education and capacity building.LARES adopts a multidisciplinary and participatory approach, focusing on the co-production of knowledge and on educational pathways tailored to different audiences: students, educators, volunteers, professionals, and the general public. Its activities combine formal and informal education, experiential learning, and innovative communication tools to enhance risk awareness, preparedness, and individual and collective responsibility.A cornerstone of LARES’s educational outreach is “SicuraMente Lab”, an interactive programme designed for secondary schools and universities, which has trained around 10,000 students, involving more than 70 schools and approximately 100 volunteer trainers. The project integrates workshops, hands-on activities, web platform, and expert contributions to introduce civil protection principles, multi-hazard scenarios (earthquakes, floods, landslides, and fires), and self-protection measures, fostering critical thinking and risk literacy among younger generations.LARES also plays an active role in “Io non Rischio”, the national awareness campaign coordinated by the Italian Civil Protection Department. Through engagement in public spaces and digital formats, trained volunteers disseminate scientifically validated information on natural hazards and preparedness practices, promoting dialogue, trust-building, and shared responsibility between institutions and communities. To date, dozens of events have been organized in 9 regions, reaching thousands of people.Public engagement is further strengthened through “Terremoti d’Italia”, an itinerant exhibition combining scientific content, historical memory, and interactive communication to explain seismic processes and promote preventive actions. Since 2007, around 30 editions have been organized in Italy and abroad with the participation of LARES volunteers.Innovation in risk communication is a key element of LARES’s strategy. The “Sisma VR” project, a virtual reality earthquake simulation, immerses users in realistic scenarios to enhance understanding of seismic risk and appropriate response behaviours through the use of commercial VR headsets.In addition, the popular videogame “Minecraft” has been exploited to develop a flood risk scenario in urban area using familiar digital environments to engage younger audiences, encouraging preparedness through play and simulation. The Minecraft-based scenario will soon be published on the Minecraft Education platform, making it available to teachers and educators worldwide.Together, these initiatives demonstrate how education-oriented, science-based communication and stakeholder engagement can effectively support the diffusion of prevention and safety culture. The LARES experience provides transferable practices aligned with the Sendai Framework priorities, contributing to informed, aware, and resilient communities.

International agencies and scientific research have been calling for the inclusion of children in disaster preparedness and risk reduction, to hear their voices in order to address their specific needs and vulnerabilities and harness their capabilities in terms of building community resilience. This article assesses the roles ascribed to children in policy and education for disaster risk reduction in Portugal. The approach is based on a scoping methodology that encompasses document analysis and interviews with national and local stakeholders and policymakers in the disaster risk reduction field. The research is carried out within the scope of a European funded project, CUIDAR Cultures of Disaster Resilience among Children and Young People. More specifically, the article provides an overview of the discourses on the roles ascribed to children in urban disaster risk reduction (DRR). The authors maintain that although children are often taken as a target group in urban disaster prevention and management, they are seldom considered in terms of active participation in disaster risk reduction programs in the Portuguese context. Nevertheless, our analysis shows that there is a growing awareness of the relevance of active participation by children in order to create successful DRR.

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, a disaster that shocked the whole world, has affected various aspects of people's lives, including the resilience of society, especially the poor. This study aims to see the condition of the resilience of the poor in Bandung in facing the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey method was chosen to obtain the latest data flexibly with a total of 200 respondents, through the distribution of a questionnaire of 40 items consisting of aspects of individual, family, and community resilience. The results show that individual resilience is very dominant during the COVID-19 pandemic disaster, this mutually affects family resilience and community resilience. The most dominant factor in the resilience of individuals and families is the factor of spirituality and optimism in facing this epidemic, the factors that affect community resilience are individual interactions in community activities in the security, social and religious fields

Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic: Distress and resilience