Impact of culture towards disaster risk reduction

Kulatunga, U

Abstract

Number of natural disasters has risen sharply worldwide making the risk of disasters a global concern. These disasters have created significant losses and damages to humans, economy and society. Despite the losses and damages created by disasters, some individuals and communities do not attached much significance to natural disasters. Risk perception towards a disaster not only depends on the danger it could create but also the behaviour of the communities and individuals that is governed by their culture. Within this context, this study examines the relationship between culture and disaster risk reduction (DRR). A comprehensive literature review is used for the study to evaluate culture, its components and to analyse a series of case studies related to disaster risk.
It was evident from the study that in some situations, culture has become a factor for the survival of the communities from disasters where as in some situations culture has acted as a barrier for effective DRR activities. The study suggests community based DRR activities as a mechanism to integrate with culture to effectively manage disaster risk.

Citation

Kulatunga, U. (2010). Impact of culture towards disaster risk reduction. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 14(4), 304-313. https://doi.org/10.3846/ijspm.2010.23

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Jun 3, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2016
• Journal: International Journal of Strategic Property Management
• Print ISSN: 1648-715X
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 304-313
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/ijspm.2010.23
• Keywords: Anthropologist, culture, components of culture, disaster risk reduction, livelihood patterns
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3846/ijspm.2010.23
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is a preprint of an article whose final and definitive form has been published in the International Journal of Strategic Property Management© 2010 Copyright Taylor & Francis; International Journal of Strategic Property Management is available online at http://www.tandfonline.com.