Anticipating and managing an unwelcome guest: Climate smart approach in disaster management

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to develop, interpret and apply climate smart approaches in disaster management. The approach would help policy makers, administrators and local community in enhancing their preparedness. The methodological approach developed in this study compares two distinct events mapped in sequences (the recent glacial and cloud burst leading to flash flood in Uttarakhand and super cyclone Phailin in Odisha both in India). It analyses the events from the point of view of climate change scenarios and integration of local and scientific knowledge in an effort to validate the climate smart approach in disaster management. This is based on participant observation in select groups, key informant interviews, media reports and scientific observations culled out from satellite images. The key findings of this study is the application of the methodological approach resulting in a set of recommendation that provides guidance on microlevel vulnerability from macro climatic data, prioritisation of resources in business as usual and emergency scenarios with clear recommendations, relevant to all stakeholders to smartly approach incoming disaster firmly and effectively to reduce its impact and build resilience in handling such events in future both at the administrative level and the local community level.