Citation

Bosomworth K, Owen C, Curnin S. Disasters 2016; 41(2): 306-323.

Affiliation

Research Fellow, Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies, University of Tasmania, and Member Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/disa.12196

PMID

27170415

Abstract

The mounting frequency and intensity of natural hazards, alongside growing interdependencies between social-technical and ecological systems, are placing increased pressure on emergency management. This is particularly true at the strategic level of emergency management, which involves planning for and managing non-routine, high-consequence events. Drawing on the literature, a survey, and interviews and workshops with Australia's senior emergency managers, this paper presents an analysis of five core challenges that these pressures are creating for strategic-level emergency management. It argues that emphasising 'emergency management' as a primary adaptation strategy is a retrograde step that ignores the importance of addressing socio-political drivers of vulnerabilities. Three key suggestions are presented that could assist the country's strategic-level emergency management in tackling these challenges: (i) reframe emergency management as a component of disaster risk reduction rather than them being one and the same; (ii) adopt a network governance approach; and (iii) further develop the capacities of strategic-level emergency managers.

© 2016 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2016.

Language: en