Strengthening community disaster resilience in uncertain times: a multi-level analysis of an Australian bushfire

Abstract

This paper examines how community groups develop resilience over time through influencing and interacting with different societal levels throughout the phases of the disaster management cycle: prevention, preparation, response, and recovery. This provides an opportunity for a more insightful and holistic understanding of the factors involved in resilience. The macro/governmental level shapes governance of bushfire management and resources; the micro level reflects the actions of individual and households; while the meso level represents local community groups providing a bridge between the two through trust-based integration and collaboration. This four-year longitudinal study used a complexity analysis framework to reveal latent tensions, as well as strong social relationships and community connections. These had implications for the emergent, local-specific responses to the bushfires, based on community attributes, needs and characteristics. The work reveals the importance of the meso level as a bridge between the governmental and individual levels, which can support tailoring, reconfiguring, and organising resources to strengthen resilience. These findings also have implications for shared responsibility, as community-based organisations may disagree with objectives at other levels, eroding resilience across the entire system. The analysis in this paper indicates that careful, flexible integration of the locally specific knowledge, meso level coordination, relationship-building, and transparent information-sharing that community-based organisation can provide, can be beneficial in effectively managing the multiple complexities of disasters.