How to improve adaptive capacity

Individuals, families/households, communities, and governments all play crucial roles in improving adaptive capacity to hazard events. As an individual, learning about hazards can help you prepare for the hazard event and know what to do during or after disasters. Families or households can buy hazard insurance, prepare a disaster supply kit, and learn evacuation routes to protect themselves. Communities can develop hazard mitigation plans and to help other communities before, during, and after hazard events. Governments at various levels can develop better building codes, zoning and land-use plans, emergency services, early warning systems, and disaster-reduction educational programs.

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Figure 10.27: For people who live in hurricane zones, knowing the evacuation route for the individual or his or her family, as well as having evacuation plans for family members, is important for enhancing their adaptive capacity to hurricane hazards.
Credit: By Julia Colton (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

In many cases, people do not realize the importance of hazard preparedness until a disaster happens. For example, many people think that their insurance policies cover flood damages but, in fact, many policies do not; those individuals do not discover their lack of coverage until they suffer flood damage. This example is a clear example of why having higher hazard awareness and better hazard preparedness before natural hazards strike is important.

Basic Disaster Supplies Kit

A basic emergency supply kit suggested by ready.gov., a national website that aims at empowering and educating Americans for emergencies, could include the following recommended items:

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
  
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
  
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
  
• Flashlight and extra batteries
  
• First aid kit
  
• Whistle to signal for help
  
• Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
  
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation
  
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
  
• Manual can opener
  
• Paper local maps
  
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter, or solar charger
  

Source: http://www.ready.gov/kit

For much of the world, poverty reduction might be the most fundamental way to enhance people's adaptive capacity. Individuals or families who live above the poverty line are more likely to be educated, to be prepared for natural hazards (by buying insurance, preparing emergency kits, etc.), and to have transportation for evacuations. Although policy makers recognize the importance of poverty reduction in enhancing people's adaptive capacity, in reality it is usually hard to implement and is considered a long-term strategy for building adaptive capacity.

In promoting people's adaptive capacities, policy makers need to be aware of the cultural differences among members of their populations, especially in regions or nations that have diverse cultural groups. These differences have major implications for developing community disaster reduction projects. For example, some cultures tend to work collectively while other cultures stress individual action. In another instance, some cultures may be inclined to believe in fate, making them less likely to prepare for natural disasters.