The eastern Australian coastline faces some 8000km of active tectonic plate boundary that is capa... more The eastern Australian coastline faces some 8000km of active tectonic plate boundary that is capable of generating a tsunami that could reach Australia in two to four hours. This makes it imperative that coastal communities understand and can respond effectively to the Australian Tsunami Warning System. Activation of this warning system could result in warning times ranging from 90 minutes to three hours. Warning times of these durations could leave insufficient time for people to implement their emergency plan (e.g., to prepare their property, plan an evacuation etc.) on receipt of a warning. This project is researching key aspects of community response capability.
ABSTRACT Social capital and leadership are critical in mobilizing collective actions to promote c... more ABSTRACT Social capital and leadership are critical in mobilizing collective actions to promote community and individual recovery after a natural disaster. Transformation to a better situation post-disaster, not just returning to a previous state, reflects the growing emphasis on disaster as a catalyst for change. To facilitate transformative change, the development focus at the core of this approach emphasizes empowerment through local governments and domestic civil society organizations working in the ‘bottom up’ participatory mode to enhance the resilience of vulnerable population groups. Poverty reduction and disaster risk reduction are interlinked. However, the research literature on disasters pays least attention to socially created vulnerabilities. They are ignored because of the difficulty in developing agreement on theory, and prioritizing issues quantifying them. This article investigates the impact of the cultural contexts in Myanmar and Taiwan on disaster recovery and reconstruction plans for specific disaster events in which vulnerable population groups respond to different risk governance frameworks and suggests a foundation for developing a cross-cultural, all-hazards approach to understanding the relationship between resilience and recovery in the context of large-scale Asian disasters.
This study examines whether disaster experience and awareness, mediated by external locus of cont... more This study examines whether disaster experience and awareness, mediated by external locus of control, influence disaster preparedness behavior. Data were collected from 300 people in flood-prone and a further 300 in heat-wave affected areas in Orissa (a state situated in south-eastern part of India). Results reveal that prior experience of hazard events and knowledge of protective actions significantly facilitates flood and heat-wave preparedness. However, locus of control mediates this relationship. Disaster experienced and aware people characterised by having an external control were less prepared. External control partially mediates between experience–behaviour and information–action link. These findings suggest that the effects of personal experience and awareness on self-protective behaviour are weakened by external attribution.
This article describes the testing of a model that proposes that people's beliefs regarding t... more This article describes the testing of a model that proposes that people's beliefs regarding the effectiveness of hazard preparedness interact with social context factors (community participation, collective efficacy, empowerment and trust) to influence levels of hazard preparedness. Using data obtained from people living in coastal communities in Alaska and Oregon that are susceptible to experiencing tsunami, structural equation modelling analyses confirmed the ability of the model to help account for differences in levels of tsunami preparedness. Analysis revealed that community members and civic agencies influence preparedness in ways that are independent of the information provided per se. The model suggests that, to encourage people to prepare, outreach strategies must (a) encourage community members to discuss tsunami hazard issues and to identify the resources and information they need to deal with the consequences a tsunami would pose for them and (b) ensure that the comm...
Natural warning signs of tsunamis include ground shaking from earthquakes and unusual sea-level f... more Natural warning signs of tsunamis include ground shaking from earthquakes and unusual sea-level fluctuations, wave forms, and sounds. These signs can alert people to impending tsunamis, but no research has explored the recognizability of these signs or the social-cognitive factors that affect human behavioral response to them. Of 663 interviewees, 24% felt ground shaking during the earthquake; 69% saw something unusual about the ocean before the first wave reached land, mostly a receded shoreline; and 55% heard something unusual. Despite these levels of observation, most people did not evacuate. In fact, 65% saw other people in the danger zone at the time of the tsunami impact. Most respondents had to run for their lives but could not identify a safe place. There are major differences in experience among north, central, and southern coastal Thailand, reflecting social, topographical, and hydrological factors.
This article is about modelling causal-relationship factors related to disaster preparedness. A m... more This article is about modelling causal-relationship factors related to disaster preparedness. A model identifying the relationships between person- and community-level factors and intention to prepare for volcanic risks is tested in communities surrounding the Mt Merapi volcano, Indonesia. The analysis extends the test of a model developed by one of the authors in an individualistic culture, New Zealand, to members of a collectivistic culture. Using the data obtained from communities situated around Mt Merapi (n = 322), analysis revealed that community-level (collective efficacy and community participation) and variables describing the quality of the relationship between community members and civic agencies played significant roles in predicting intentions to prepare for volcanic hazards. The analysis also revealed that individual-level variables (outcome expectancy) were less influential compared with studies applying the model in individualistic countries. Some policy implications...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Women of Refugee Background (WoRB) have been repeatedly identified as an extremely vulnerable pop... more Women of Refugee Background (WoRB) have been repeatedly identified as an extremely vulnerable population. Within an Australian context, WoRB are increasingly resettled to non-metropolitan locations, otherwise known as regional locations. Despite this, to date, no research has focused on the lived experience and challenges associated with the resettlement of WoRB to regional contexts. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature by investigating the resettlement experience of WoRB resettled in Tasmania—a state in Australia classified as a rural and regional location. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a group of 21 individuals (nine WoRB and 12 service providers). Thematic analysis identified four overarching themes—Communication Barriers and Lack of Fluency in English, Challenges Accessing Everyday Basic Needs, Loss of Connection to Culture of Origin and Inability to Access Mainstream Mental Health Services for Help. Participants also highlighted a number of unique...
The Sendai Framework of Action 2015–2030 calls for holistic Indigenous disaster risk reduction (D... more The Sendai Framework of Action 2015–2030 calls for holistic Indigenous disaster risk reduction (DRR) research. Responding to this call, we synergized a holistic philosophical framework (comprising ecological systems theory, symbolic interactionism, and intersectionality) and social constructionist grounded theory and ethnography within a critical Indigenous research paradigm as a methodology for exploring how diverse individual and contextual factors influence DRR in a remote Indigenous community called Galiwinku, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Working together, Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers collected stories in local languages using conversations and yarning circles with 20 community members, as well as participant observations. The stories were interpreted and analysed using social constructivist grounded theory analysis techniques. The findings were dialogued with over 50 community members. The findings deeply resonated with the community members, validating ...
The author recounts some of the observed actions of drivers which could have led, directly or ind... more The author recounts some of the observed actions of drivers which could have led, directly or indirectly, to accidents with fatal or serious consequences. (non-author abstract)
In March, 2009, the Tasmanian Fire Service introduced a Community Development Pilot in an endeavo... more In March, 2009, the Tasmanian Fire Service introduced a Community Development Pilot in an endeavour to use community engagement and empowerment to promote greater bushfire preparedness in four target Tasmanian communities. The Pilot was facilitated by an appointed Community Development Officer who through a 'grassroots' approach engaged the community to become more bushfire prepared through tailored programs and activities. Evaluation of this Pilot demonstrated that this community engagement approach can not only directly promote bushfire preparedness behaviour, but it can also, through ongoing support and facilitation from government fire agencies like the Tasmanian Fire Service, be community driven. This therefore ensures a greater likelihood of sustained community bushfire preparedness.
ABSTRACT Extreme weather conditions and geographical isolation are among many factors that render... more ABSTRACT Extreme weather conditions and geographical isolation are among many factors that render Antarctica a challenging environment for employees to sustain optimum levels of functioning. However, challenges associated with Antarctic employment can extend beyond their time “on the ice” to influence post- Antarctic adjustment. The current study investigated predictors of positive and negative psychological change reported by expeditioners 2 and 12 months post- return from “the ice” to identify factors that influence adjustment following Antarctic employment. The sample comprised 383 (277 male, 106 female) expeditioners, recruited from Australian Antarctic programme between years 2005 and 2010. Scores on the Changes in Outlook Questionnaire (CiOQ) were examined at 2 and 12 months post-return. Results indicated that positive and negative psychological change at both time points was predicted by pre-depar- ture and post-return factors, not by experiences whilst “on the ice”. It was also identified that predictors of positive and negative change differed as a function of relationship status. This indicates that expeditioners would benefit from proac- tive prevention and intervention strategies prior to departure and upon return from their employment, not simply whilst working in Antarctica. Additionally, the nature of such interventions needs to consider relationship status as a factor that can influence post-return adaptation and functioning.
This book is about the relationships people have with hazards that are variously called wildfires... more This book is about the relationships people have with hazards that are variously called wildfires, forest fires and bushfires depending on which part of the world one finds oneself in. To simplify nomenclature, the term wildfire will be used throughout this book. Wildfires represent a growing threat to environments, to people and communities and to societies worldwide. These problems have been most noticeable in the United States, Southern Europe and Australia (e.g., as a result of recent catastrophic events in Australia, California, and Greece) where research and public scrutiny has been greatest. However, as the contents of this text attest, a need for a better understanding of wildfires and how wildfire risk can be effectively and sustainably managed is also required in South America and India. Developing such understanding and capability is becoming a more pressing issue in all these countries. Current forecasts suggest that, particularly in the context of climate change phenomena, the incidence of large scale, damaging wildfire hazard events, their intensity, their frequency and their duration will increase (e.g., Nicholls & Lucas, 2007). Furthermore, it can be anticipated that climate change will affect the distribution of wildfire risk and result in their emerging on the hazard-scape of some areas and,such as population growth, migration (e.g., into the peri-urban or wildland- urban interface zone) and infrastructure development will increase the scale and consequences of the losses that could potentially occur from wildfire events and contribute to the development of progressively more complex risk management contexts. Thus, in many parts of the world, climatic change, land use change and population dynamics are interacting to change and increase the risk posed by wildfire hazards to contemporary societies. Recognition of these changes and their implications calls for risk management concepts and strategies to include the people who live with, contribute to and can assist with the management of wildfire risk and who can be affected by and have to recover from wildfire events. Consequently, managing wildfire risk calls for greater understanding of the role people, communities and societal factors play in the origins and nature of the risk wildfire poses, how this risk has developed and how it may change over time. It calls for greater attention to be paid to developing household, community and societal capacity to anticipate, mitigate, cope with, adapt to, and recover from events that are likely to increase in frequency and severity over the coming years and decades (Paton, 2006). It is thus becoming increasingly important to consider the contributions to risk emanating from the social domain. The need to actively pursue this understanding derives from the fact that despite the attention and financial resources devoted to wildfire risk management over several decades, the goal of ensuring the sustained adoption of the kinds of mitigation and protective measures that scientific and expert sources believe to be crucial to promoting community safety has proved elusive. Consequently, new insights are required if this state of affairs is to be remedied. The contents of this book review and summarize the findings of substantive research programs on the social dimensions of wildfire risk being conducted in the United States, Australia, Portugal, India, Chile, Greece and Cyprus. The contributors bring considerable intellectual rigor to bear on their identification of the personal, social, societal, environmental and ecological factors that influence both people's interpretation of wildfire risk and the choices they make about how to manage their risk. The work described by the authors provide a foundation for presenting evidence-based strategies that can be used by fire and other government and non-governmental agencies responsible for wildfire mitigation and risk management to design effective mitigald- tion, risk communication and community outreach programs for use in- in communities that live with the spectre of wildfires.
The eastern Australian coastline faces some 8000km of active tectonic plate boundary that is capa... more The eastern Australian coastline faces some 8000km of active tectonic plate boundary that is capable of generating a tsunami that could reach Australia in two to four hours. This makes it imperative that coastal communities understand and can respond effectively to the Australian Tsunami Warning System. Activation of this warning system could result in warning times ranging from 90 minutes to three hours. Warning times of these durations could leave insufficient time for people to implement their emergency plan (e.g., to prepare their property, plan an evacuation etc.) on receipt of a warning. This project is researching key aspects of community response capability.
ABSTRACT Social capital and leadership are critical in mobilizing collective actions to promote c... more ABSTRACT Social capital and leadership are critical in mobilizing collective actions to promote community and individual recovery after a natural disaster. Transformation to a better situation post-disaster, not just returning to a previous state, reflects the growing emphasis on disaster as a catalyst for change. To facilitate transformative change, the development focus at the core of this approach emphasizes empowerment through local governments and domestic civil society organizations working in the ‘bottom up’ participatory mode to enhance the resilience of vulnerable population groups. Poverty reduction and disaster risk reduction are interlinked. However, the research literature on disasters pays least attention to socially created vulnerabilities. They are ignored because of the difficulty in developing agreement on theory, and prioritizing issues quantifying them. This article investigates the impact of the cultural contexts in Myanmar and Taiwan on disaster recovery and reconstruction plans for specific disaster events in which vulnerable population groups respond to different risk governance frameworks and suggests a foundation for developing a cross-cultural, all-hazards approach to understanding the relationship between resilience and recovery in the context of large-scale Asian disasters.
This study examines whether disaster experience and awareness, mediated by external locus of cont... more This study examines whether disaster experience and awareness, mediated by external locus of control, influence disaster preparedness behavior. Data were collected from 300 people in flood-prone and a further 300 in heat-wave affected areas in Orissa (a state situated in south-eastern part of India). Results reveal that prior experience of hazard events and knowledge of protective actions significantly facilitates flood and heat-wave preparedness. However, locus of control mediates this relationship. Disaster experienced and aware people characterised by having an external control were less prepared. External control partially mediates between experience–behaviour and information–action link. These findings suggest that the effects of personal experience and awareness on self-protective behaviour are weakened by external attribution.
This article describes the testing of a model that proposes that people's beliefs regarding t... more This article describes the testing of a model that proposes that people's beliefs regarding the effectiveness of hazard preparedness interact with social context factors (community participation, collective efficacy, empowerment and trust) to influence levels of hazard preparedness. Using data obtained from people living in coastal communities in Alaska and Oregon that are susceptible to experiencing tsunami, structural equation modelling analyses confirmed the ability of the model to help account for differences in levels of tsunami preparedness. Analysis revealed that community members and civic agencies influence preparedness in ways that are independent of the information provided per se. The model suggests that, to encourage people to prepare, outreach strategies must (a) encourage community members to discuss tsunami hazard issues and to identify the resources and information they need to deal with the consequences a tsunami would pose for them and (b) ensure that the comm...
Natural warning signs of tsunamis include ground shaking from earthquakes and unusual sea-level f... more Natural warning signs of tsunamis include ground shaking from earthquakes and unusual sea-level fluctuations, wave forms, and sounds. These signs can alert people to impending tsunamis, but no research has explored the recognizability of these signs or the social-cognitive factors that affect human behavioral response to them. Of 663 interviewees, 24% felt ground shaking during the earthquake; 69% saw something unusual about the ocean before the first wave reached land, mostly a receded shoreline; and 55% heard something unusual. Despite these levels of observation, most people did not evacuate. In fact, 65% saw other people in the danger zone at the time of the tsunami impact. Most respondents had to run for their lives but could not identify a safe place. There are major differences in experience among north, central, and southern coastal Thailand, reflecting social, topographical, and hydrological factors.
This article is about modelling causal-relationship factors related to disaster preparedness. A m... more This article is about modelling causal-relationship factors related to disaster preparedness. A model identifying the relationships between person- and community-level factors and intention to prepare for volcanic risks is tested in communities surrounding the Mt Merapi volcano, Indonesia. The analysis extends the test of a model developed by one of the authors in an individualistic culture, New Zealand, to members of a collectivistic culture. Using the data obtained from communities situated around Mt Merapi (n = 322), analysis revealed that community-level (collective efficacy and community participation) and variables describing the quality of the relationship between community members and civic agencies played significant roles in predicting intentions to prepare for volcanic hazards. The analysis also revealed that individual-level variables (outcome expectancy) were less influential compared with studies applying the model in individualistic countries. Some policy implications...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Women of Refugee Background (WoRB) have been repeatedly identified as an extremely vulnerable pop... more Women of Refugee Background (WoRB) have been repeatedly identified as an extremely vulnerable population. Within an Australian context, WoRB are increasingly resettled to non-metropolitan locations, otherwise known as regional locations. Despite this, to date, no research has focused on the lived experience and challenges associated with the resettlement of WoRB to regional contexts. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature by investigating the resettlement experience of WoRB resettled in Tasmania—a state in Australia classified as a rural and regional location. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a group of 21 individuals (nine WoRB and 12 service providers). Thematic analysis identified four overarching themes—Communication Barriers and Lack of Fluency in English, Challenges Accessing Everyday Basic Needs, Loss of Connection to Culture of Origin and Inability to Access Mainstream Mental Health Services for Help. Participants also highlighted a number of unique...
The Sendai Framework of Action 2015–2030 calls for holistic Indigenous disaster risk reduction (D... more The Sendai Framework of Action 2015–2030 calls for holistic Indigenous disaster risk reduction (DRR) research. Responding to this call, we synergized a holistic philosophical framework (comprising ecological systems theory, symbolic interactionism, and intersectionality) and social constructionist grounded theory and ethnography within a critical Indigenous research paradigm as a methodology for exploring how diverse individual and contextual factors influence DRR in a remote Indigenous community called Galiwinku, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Working together, Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers collected stories in local languages using conversations and yarning circles with 20 community members, as well as participant observations. The stories were interpreted and analysed using social constructivist grounded theory analysis techniques. The findings were dialogued with over 50 community members. The findings deeply resonated with the community members, validating ...
The author recounts some of the observed actions of drivers which could have led, directly or ind... more The author recounts some of the observed actions of drivers which could have led, directly or indirectly, to accidents with fatal or serious consequences. (non-author abstract)
In March, 2009, the Tasmanian Fire Service introduced a Community Development Pilot in an endeavo... more In March, 2009, the Tasmanian Fire Service introduced a Community Development Pilot in an endeavour to use community engagement and empowerment to promote greater bushfire preparedness in four target Tasmanian communities. The Pilot was facilitated by an appointed Community Development Officer who through a 'grassroots' approach engaged the community to become more bushfire prepared through tailored programs and activities. Evaluation of this Pilot demonstrated that this community engagement approach can not only directly promote bushfire preparedness behaviour, but it can also, through ongoing support and facilitation from government fire agencies like the Tasmanian Fire Service, be community driven. This therefore ensures a greater likelihood of sustained community bushfire preparedness.
ABSTRACT Extreme weather conditions and geographical isolation are among many factors that render... more ABSTRACT Extreme weather conditions and geographical isolation are among many factors that render Antarctica a challenging environment for employees to sustain optimum levels of functioning. However, challenges associated with Antarctic employment can extend beyond their time “on the ice” to influence post- Antarctic adjustment. The current study investigated predictors of positive and negative psychological change reported by expeditioners 2 and 12 months post- return from “the ice” to identify factors that influence adjustment following Antarctic employment. The sample comprised 383 (277 male, 106 female) expeditioners, recruited from Australian Antarctic programme between years 2005 and 2010. Scores on the Changes in Outlook Questionnaire (CiOQ) were examined at 2 and 12 months post-return. Results indicated that positive and negative psychological change at both time points was predicted by pre-depar- ture and post-return factors, not by experiences whilst “on the ice”. It was also identified that predictors of positive and negative change differed as a function of relationship status. This indicates that expeditioners would benefit from proac- tive prevention and intervention strategies prior to departure and upon return from their employment, not simply whilst working in Antarctica. Additionally, the nature of such interventions needs to consider relationship status as a factor that can influence post-return adaptation and functioning.
This book is about the relationships people have with hazards that are variously called wildfires... more This book is about the relationships people have with hazards that are variously called wildfires, forest fires and bushfires depending on which part of the world one finds oneself in. To simplify nomenclature, the term wildfire will be used throughout this book. Wildfires represent a growing threat to environments, to people and communities and to societies worldwide. These problems have been most noticeable in the United States, Southern Europe and Australia (e.g., as a result of recent catastrophic events in Australia, California, and Greece) where research and public scrutiny has been greatest. However, as the contents of this text attest, a need for a better understanding of wildfires and how wildfire risk can be effectively and sustainably managed is also required in South America and India. Developing such understanding and capability is becoming a more pressing issue in all these countries. Current forecasts suggest that, particularly in the context of climate change phenomena, the incidence of large scale, damaging wildfire hazard events, their intensity, their frequency and their duration will increase (e.g., Nicholls & Lucas, 2007). Furthermore, it can be anticipated that climate change will affect the distribution of wildfire risk and result in their emerging on the hazard-scape of some areas and,such as population growth, migration (e.g., into the peri-urban or wildland- urban interface zone) and infrastructure development will increase the scale and consequences of the losses that could potentially occur from wildfire events and contribute to the development of progressively more complex risk management contexts. Thus, in many parts of the world, climatic change, land use change and population dynamics are interacting to change and increase the risk posed by wildfire hazards to contemporary societies. Recognition of these changes and their implications calls for risk management concepts and strategies to include the people who live with, contribute to and can assist with the management of wildfire risk and who can be affected by and have to recover from wildfire events. Consequently, managing wildfire risk calls for greater understanding of the role people, communities and societal factors play in the origins and nature of the risk wildfire poses, how this risk has developed and how it may change over time. It calls for greater attention to be paid to developing household, community and societal capacity to anticipate, mitigate, cope with, adapt to, and recover from events that are likely to increase in frequency and severity over the coming years and decades (Paton, 2006). It is thus becoming increasingly important to consider the contributions to risk emanating from the social domain. The need to actively pursue this understanding derives from the fact that despite the attention and financial resources devoted to wildfire risk management over several decades, the goal of ensuring the sustained adoption of the kinds of mitigation and protective measures that scientific and expert sources believe to be crucial to promoting community safety has proved elusive. Consequently, new insights are required if this state of affairs is to be remedied. The contents of this book review and summarize the findings of substantive research programs on the social dimensions of wildfire risk being conducted in the United States, Australia, Portugal, India, Chile, Greece and Cyprus. The contributors bring considerable intellectual rigor to bear on their identification of the personal, social, societal, environmental and ecological factors that influence both people's interpretation of wildfire risk and the choices they make about how to manage their risk. The work described by the authors provide a foundation for presenting evidence-based strategies that can be used by fire and other government and non-governmental agencies responsible for wildfire mitigation and risk management to design effective mitigald- tion, risk communication and community outreach programs for use in- in communities that live with the spectre of wildfires.
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Papers by Douglas Paton