Community resilience framework

A natural disaster may cause perturbations in a social and economic system as well as among individuals, groups and communities. In order to understand and analyze the flood victims struggle to resist the repercussions of the flood and change in their lives Community Resilience Theory is applied. Community resilience means “the ability of a community to absorb a disturbance while retaining its’ essential functions” (Longstaff et.al., 2010:4). The word “Resilience” was introduced by the theoretical ecologist C.S. Holling in 1973. He introduced this term to understand reactions to spontaneous or unplanned changes perceived in the ecosystem (Gunderson, 2000). The term resilience may be defined as “the time required for a system to return to an equilibrium or steady-state following a perturbation” (Gunderson, 2000: 426). In ecological studies the concept resilience has been used to describe individuals’

adaptive or coping capacities (Norris et. al., 2008). The term resilience indicates resistance

against perturbations caused by natural disaster or structural hazards. Resilience supports as a bouncing force to deal with the calamitous events in an efficient way (Marrero & Tschakert, 2011).

Norris et. al., (2008) used community resilience theory to analyze the processes of adaptation in a way that seems well suited to the present study. Community resilience elaborates the wellness and adaptive capacity of the affected population on the basis of equality. Moreover, four basic sets of adaptive capacities, economic development, social capital, information and communication and community competence are discussed by Norris and his colleagues (2008). These four sets of capacities have great significance in the analysis of empirical chapters in this study. According to the theory, communities should minimize risk and reduce inequities in order to build collective resilience by the participation of locals in the process of extenuation (Norris et. al., 2008:127). In order to alleviate the repercussions of disaster it is significant to utilize the resources, capacities and capabilities within the community, because communities have shared interests and geographical locations. Community Resilience theory contributes to the analysis of the major part of the findings related to resource, risk management and livelihoods among two ethnic communities (Afghan & Pathan) before, during and after the flood. The following model is taken from Norris’ above mentioned study of community resilience. The model describes the connection between possible factors that influence the process of a disaster and possible outcomes after the process of resilience.

(Norris et.al.2008:130)

The community resilience model is used to help answer the questions regarding level of stress and coping strategies following the flood. The model helps to analyze the pre-event situations and functioning of the affected population (both Afghan and Pakhtun). It also helps first to understand the crisis situation that occurred at the time of the disaster and then to analyze the stressors, duration, severity and shock caused by the flood. Moreover, it helps to analyze people’s reactions and responses towards the calamity in terms of resource mobilization, and thus analyze the communities’ initial response to the crisis.

Moreover, it helps to analyze the resistance to the crisis on the basis of resource robustness, redundancy and rapidity. Actually, “Community Resilience is a function of resource robustness and adaptive capacity” (Longstaff et.al., 2010:4), which includes social capital, an important ingredient for resilience. Robustness means “ability to withstand stress without suffering degradation” (Norris et.al. 2008:134). The model of community resilience helps to analyze the post-event functioning adapted to pre-event environment as result of resistance taking place within two communities. It helps to analyze the transient dysfunction that will work as a bouncing force for the process or continuation of resilience to combat vulnerabilities. It also helps to analyze the end result of this transient dysfunction and whole process of resilience that leads to analyze the positive or negative outcome of post-event functioning adapted to the altered environment. For instance, the outcome of the presented model is either resilience or vulnerability. However, the focus of the present study is not just to investigate the outcome of the resilience, but rather to analyze the process that produces the outcome. Furthermore, community resilience framework also helps to analyze the strength of

“economic development, social capital, information and communication and community competence” (Norris et.al., 2008:127) all important resources in the tight against deterioration within two communities.

Community resilience is analyzed mainly along the above mentioned dimensions in the empirical chapters. These dimensions focus on the importance of available resources within the community or groups after the disaster to continue the mitigation process. In this study community resilience is used to analyze different aspects on different levels like individuals, family [gender] and community. The later theories are integrated with resilience because;

resilience is a process, as mentioned, which includes social capital and vulnerability as well.

Resilience depends on the resource robustness (social, economic, natural etc.) that manifests

the increase or decrease in vulnerabilities within groups. Therefore, these theories support each other on central points in the analysis of the empirical findings.

In the first empirical chapter resilience is analyzed in terms of crisis, as mentioned earlier, and level of resistance within the Afghan and Pathan communities to face the hazard. Moreover, above mentioned model presents the broad picture of the socio economic situation within both ethnic groups before, during and after the natural disaster, which is emphasized in the first empirical chapter. The theory is also used in the gender relations chapter, in connection with resource management to enhance the livelihoods and reduce the risk or disaster impact.

The theory helps to analyze the mitigation process in terms of social capital (support from close relatives, property, social contact etc.) and other resources, and analyze the positive and negative outcomes. Communities or groups that are dependent on inadequate resources are less likely to adapt to climate change because it depends on linkages, positions and on proper functions (Norris et. al., 2008). It is likely that, different groups of people get affected differently and resists the perturbed situations differently. There are often higher chances of survival in hazards situations for people rich in resources (both economic and social).

Community resilience theory is also applied in the third empirical chapter to analyze the flood survivors’ plans to rebuild their livelihoods. It also helps to analyze the continued resistance within both ethnic groups to deal with the damage, and the role of national and international assistance in rebuilding the infrastructure for the proper functioning of the communities.

Moreover, it also helps to study whether vulnerabilities are still persisting, or alleviated.