Building Community Capacity and Fostering Disaster Resilience

Abstract

Objective: To describe, within an ecologically grounded framework, key principles, and recommendations for community-level intervention to build community capacity and promote disaster resilience.

Method: Using an ecological framework, this article describes community resilience and related constructs and key principles for community-level disaster preparedness and response.

Results: Current research suggests the importance of focusing on bolstering resources that promote wellness and facilitate individual and community resilience in the face of disaster.

Conclusion: We advocate for using an ecological framework grounded in such values as collaboration, social justice, empowerment, and an appreciation of diversity to guide disaster work with communities. We highlight the need to: (a) focus on building community-specific capacity for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; (b) emphasize increasing the capacity and supportive potential of community members' natural settings to promote wellness; (c) address power and resource inequities; and (d) enhance capacity to ensure contextually and culturally appropriate structures, methods, and interventions.

Keywords: building capacity; community; disasters; resilience.