Natural Hazards, Human Vulnerability and Disabling Societies: A Disaster for Disabled People?
Main Article Content
Keywords
natural hazard, vulnerable groups, social model
Abstract
The policy and research literature on disaster management constructs disabled people as a particularly “vulnerable group.” In this paper, we combine concepts from disaster theory and disability theory to examine this assumption critically. Drawing on primary, secondary and tertiary sources, we assess the vulnerability of disabled people in two globally significant disasters: Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and the Asian tsunami of December 2004. In both cases, disabled people were adversely affected in terms of their physical safety and access to immediate aid, shelter, evacuation and relief. Using a social model analysis we contest the view that this vulnerability arises from the physical, sensory or cognitive limitations of the individual and show how it may be attributed to forms of disadvantage and exclusion that are socially created. The paper concludes that “natural hazards” are realised disproportionately as “human disasters” for disabled people, and most notably for disabled people in poor communities. Social model approaches and strong disabled people’s organisations are key to building greater resilience to disaster amongst “vulnerable” communities in both high-income and low-income countries.
References
Adger, W., Hughes, T., Folke, C., Carpenter, S., & Rockstrom, J. (2005). Social-ecological resilience to coastal disasters. Science, 309(5737), 1036-1039.
Asian Development Bank. (2000). Technical assistance for identifying disability issues related to poverty reduction. Manila: Author.
Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., Davis, I., & Wisner, B. (1994). At risk: Natural hazards, people's vulnerability and disasters. London: Routledge.
Blanck, P. (1995). Disaster mitigation for persons with disabilities: Fostering a new dialogue. Washington, D.C.: Annenberg Washington Program in Communications Policy Studies of Northwestern University.
Bohannon, J., & Enserink, M. (2005). Hurricane Katrina - Scientists weigh options for rebuilding New Orleans. Science, 309(5742), 1808-1809.
Browne, T. (2005). Hurricane Katrina: The psychosocial aftermath for ESRD patients and caregivers. Dialysis & Transplantation, 34(11), 832-+.
Byzek, J., & Gilmer, T. (2001). September 11, 2001: A day to remember. New Mobility. Retrieved October 18, 2005, from http://www.newmobility.com/review_article.cfm?id=461
California Department of Rehabilitation. (1997). Disaster preparedness for persons with disabilities: Improving California's response. Retrieved October 18, 2005, from http://www.atnet.org/education/prepare.pdf
Center for International Rehabilitation. (2005). Disability and early Tsunami relief efforts in India, Indonesia and Thailand. Chicago: Center for International Rehabilitation.
Chari, R., & Padmanabhan, R. (2005). Report on the visit to the Andaman & Nicobar islands to study the impact of the Tsunami tragedy vis-a-vis disability. National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People/DPI India. Retrieved November 15, 2005, from http://ncpedp.org/policy/pol-res01.htm
Charlton, J. (1998). Nothing about us without us: Disability oppression and empowerment. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Chou, Y. J., Huang, N., Lee, C. H., Tsai, S. L., Chen, L. S., & Chang, H. J. (2004). Who is at risk of death in an earthquake? American Journal of Epidemiology, 160(7), 688-695.
Cutter, S., Boruff, B., & Shirley, W. (2003). Social vulnerability to environmental hazards. Social Science Quarterly, 84(1), 242-261.
Cutter, S. L. (1996). Vulnerability to environmental hazards. Progress in Human Geography, 20, 529-539.
Cutter, S. L. (2006). Hazards, vulnerability and environmental justice.
Department for International Development. (2000). Disability, poverty and development. London: Author.
Dow, K. (1992). Exploring differences in our common future(s): The meaning of vulnerability to global environmental change. Geoforum, 23, 417-436.
Elwan, A. (1999). Poverty and disability: A survey of the literature. Geneva: World Bank.
Fleischer, D. Z., & Zames, F. (2001). The Disability Rights Movement: From charity to confrontation. Philadelphia, PA.: Temple University Press.
Füssel, H., & Klein, R. (2002). Assessing vulnerability and adaptation to climate change: An evolution of conceptual thinking. Paper presented at the UNDP Expert Group Meeting on Integrating Disaster Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change, Havana, Cuba, 17–19 June. Retrieved January, 2006, from http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~fuessel/download/undp02_final.pdf
Füssel, H., & Klein, R. (2006). Climate change vulnerability assessments: An evolution of conceptual thinking. Climatic Change, 75(3), 301-329
Humanitarian Information Center. (2005). Weekly Humanitarian Overview - Batticaloa District, 5 - 10 April 2005. HIC for Sri Lanka.
Imperiale, P. (1991). Special needs in emergency planning and preparedness. Earthquake Preparedness News, 6(2).
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. (1994). Yokohama strategy and plan of action for a safer world. Retrieved November, 2005, from http://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/bd-yokohama-strat-eng.htm
Kett, M., Stubbs, S., & Yeo, R. (2005). Disability in conflict and emergency situations: Focus on Tsunami-affected areas. Norwich: International Disability and Development Consortium, University of East Anglia.
Klein, R. (2006). Environmental vulnerability assessment. Retrieved January, 2006, from http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~richardk/eva/
Lathrop, D. (1994). DISASTER! If you have a disability, the forces of nature can be meaner to you than anyone else. Mainstream, November 1994.
Liverman, D. (1990). Vulnerability to global environmental change. In R. Kasperson, D. Dow, D. Golding, & J. Kasperson (Eds.), Understanding global environmental change: The contributions of risk analysis and management. Worcester, MA: Clark University.
Mashni, A., Reed, S., Sasmitawidjaja, V., Sundhagul, D., & Wright, T. (2005). Multi-agency evaluation of Tsunami response: Thailand and Indonesia. CARE International & World Vision International. Retrieved December, 2005, from http://www.alnap.org/tec/pdf/IWG_TH_ID_Evaluation_20050901.pdf
McCarthy, J., Canziani, O., Leary, N., Dokken, D., & White, K. (Eds.). (2001). Climate change 2001: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McClain-Nhlapo, C. (2005). Terror wave: Tsunami and disability. Disability World. Retrieved October 10, 2005, from http://www.disabilityworld.org/12-02_05/news/wavesofterror.shtml
Morrow, B. (1999). Identifying and mapping community vulnerability. Disasters, 23(1), 1-18.
Mudur, G. (2005). Aid agencies ignored special needs of elderly people after tsunami. British Medical Journal, 331(7514), 422-422.
National Organization on Disability. (2005). Report on Special Needs Assessment for Katrina Evacuees (SNAKE) Project. Washington DC: Author.
Nobody Left Behind. (2004). Lessons learned from the World Trade Center disaster: emergency preparedness for people with disabilities in New York. Author. Retrieved October 8, 2005, from http://rtcil.org/lesson.htm
Oliver, M. (1990). The politics of disablement. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Oosters, B. (2005). Looking with a disability lens at the disaster caused by the Tsunami in South-East Asia. Brussels: CBM International.
Priestley, M. (1998). Constructions and creations: Idealism, materialism and disability theory. Disability & Society, 13(1), 75-94.
Priestley, M., & Hemingway, L. (2006). Disability and disaster recovery: A tale of two cities? Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation.
Rawal, V., Fautin, C., Moore, J.-L., Kalonge, S., Walden, V. M., & Bhattacharjee, A. (2005). Multi-agency evaluation of Tsunami response: India and Sri Lanka. CARE International, Oxfam GB & World Vision International. Retrieved December, 2005, from http://www.alnap.org/tec/pdf/IWG_IN_LK_Evaluation_20050901.pdf
SEEDS. (2001). High powered committee on disaster management: Report on women, children, aged and challenged in disasters. Government of India. Retrieved October 10, 2005, from http://www.benfieldhrc.org/disaster_studies/disability&disasters/hpc_seed.pdf
Shaw, R., & Goda, K. (2004). From disaster to sustainable community planning and development: The Kobe Experiences. Disaster Prevention and Management, 28(1), 16-40.
Smith, K. (2001). Environmental hazards: Assessing risk and reducing disaster (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.
Sri Lanka Department of Census and Statistics. (2005). Preliminary report 2: Census of buildings and persons affected by the Tsunami 2004. Hambantota District: Thissamaharama DS Division.
TamilNet. (2005). Child vision survey identifies five thousand disabled in East. Retrieved September, 2005, from http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=15690
Timmermann, P. (1981). Vulnerability, resilience and the collapse of society. Toronto: Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Toronto.
Travis, J. (2005). Hurricane Katrina - Scientists' fears come true as hurricane floods New Orleans. Science, 309(5741), 1656-+.
United Nations, & International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. (2004). Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiatives. Geneva: Author.
US Geological Survey. (2005). Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake. Retrieved November, 2005, from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqinthenews/2004/usslav/
Wisner, B. (2002). Disability and disaster: Victimhood and agency in earthquake risk reduction. In C. Rodrigue & E. Rovai (Eds.), Earthquakes. London: Routledge.
World Health Organisation. (2005a). Disasters, disability and rehabilitation. Retrieved October 8, 2005, from http://www.who.int/entity/violence_injury_prevention/other_injury/disaster_disability2.pdf
World Health Organisation. (2005b). Injuries and disability: priorities and management for populations affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Asia. Retrieved October 10, 2005, from http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/other_injury/tsunami/en/print.html
Yamin, F., Rahman, A., & Huq, S. (2005). Vulnerability, adaptation and climate disasters: A conceptual overview. Ids Bulletin-Institute of Development Studies, 36(4), 1-14.
Asian Development Bank. (2000). Technical assistance for identifying disability issues related to poverty reduction. Manila: Author.
Blaikie, P., Cannon, T., Davis, I., & Wisner, B. (1994). At risk: Natural hazards, people's vulnerability and disasters. London: Routledge.
Blanck, P. (1995). Disaster mitigation for persons with disabilities: Fostering a new dialogue. Washington, D.C.: Annenberg Washington Program in Communications Policy Studies of Northwestern University.
Bohannon, J., & Enserink, M. (2005). Hurricane Katrina - Scientists weigh options for rebuilding New Orleans. Science, 309(5742), 1808-1809.
Browne, T. (2005). Hurricane Katrina: The psychosocial aftermath for ESRD patients and caregivers. Dialysis & Transplantation, 34(11), 832-+.
Byzek, J., & Gilmer, T. (2001). September 11, 2001: A day to remember. New Mobility. Retrieved October 18, 2005, from http://www.newmobility.com/review_article.cfm?id=461
California Department of Rehabilitation. (1997). Disaster preparedness for persons with disabilities: Improving California's response. Retrieved October 18, 2005, from http://www.atnet.org/education/prepare.pdf
Center for International Rehabilitation. (2005). Disability and early Tsunami relief efforts in India, Indonesia and Thailand. Chicago: Center for International Rehabilitation.
Chari, R., & Padmanabhan, R. (2005). Report on the visit to the Andaman & Nicobar islands to study the impact of the Tsunami tragedy vis-a-vis disability. National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People/DPI India. Retrieved November 15, 2005, from http://ncpedp.org/policy/pol-res01.htm
Charlton, J. (1998). Nothing about us without us: Disability oppression and empowerment. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Chou, Y. J., Huang, N., Lee, C. H., Tsai, S. L., Chen, L. S., & Chang, H. J. (2004). Who is at risk of death in an earthquake? American Journal of Epidemiology, 160(7), 688-695.
Cutter, S., Boruff, B., & Shirley, W. (2003). Social vulnerability to environmental hazards. Social Science Quarterly, 84(1), 242-261.
Cutter, S. L. (1996). Vulnerability to environmental hazards. Progress in Human Geography, 20, 529-539.
Cutter, S. L. (2006). Hazards, vulnerability and environmental justice.
Department for International Development. (2000). Disability, poverty and development. London: Author.
Dow, K. (1992). Exploring differences in our common future(s): The meaning of vulnerability to global environmental change. Geoforum, 23, 417-436.
Elwan, A. (1999). Poverty and disability: A survey of the literature. Geneva: World Bank.
Fleischer, D. Z., & Zames, F. (2001). The Disability Rights Movement: From charity to confrontation. Philadelphia, PA.: Temple University Press.
Füssel, H., & Klein, R. (2002). Assessing vulnerability and adaptation to climate change: An evolution of conceptual thinking. Paper presented at the UNDP Expert Group Meeting on Integrating Disaster Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change, Havana, Cuba, 17–19 June. Retrieved January, 2006, from http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~fuessel/download/undp02_final.pdf
Füssel, H., & Klein, R. (2006). Climate change vulnerability assessments: An evolution of conceptual thinking. Climatic Change, 75(3), 301-329
Humanitarian Information Center. (2005). Weekly Humanitarian Overview - Batticaloa District, 5 - 10 April 2005. HIC for Sri Lanka.
Imperiale, P. (1991). Special needs in emergency planning and preparedness. Earthquake Preparedness News, 6(2).
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. (1994). Yokohama strategy and plan of action for a safer world. Retrieved November, 2005, from http://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/bd-yokohama-strat-eng.htm
Kett, M., Stubbs, S., & Yeo, R. (2005). Disability in conflict and emergency situations: Focus on Tsunami-affected areas. Norwich: International Disability and Development Consortium, University of East Anglia.
Klein, R. (2006). Environmental vulnerability assessment. Retrieved January, 2006, from http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~richardk/eva/
Lathrop, D. (1994). DISASTER! If you have a disability, the forces of nature can be meaner to you than anyone else. Mainstream, November 1994.
Liverman, D. (1990). Vulnerability to global environmental change. In R. Kasperson, D. Dow, D. Golding, & J. Kasperson (Eds.), Understanding global environmental change: The contributions of risk analysis and management. Worcester, MA: Clark University.
Mashni, A., Reed, S., Sasmitawidjaja, V., Sundhagul, D., & Wright, T. (2005). Multi-agency evaluation of Tsunami response: Thailand and Indonesia. CARE International & World Vision International. Retrieved December, 2005, from http://www.alnap.org/tec/pdf/IWG_TH_ID_Evaluation_20050901.pdf
McCarthy, J., Canziani, O., Leary, N., Dokken, D., & White, K. (Eds.). (2001). Climate change 2001: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McClain-Nhlapo, C. (2005). Terror wave: Tsunami and disability. Disability World. Retrieved October 10, 2005, from http://www.disabilityworld.org/12-02_05/news/wavesofterror.shtml
Morrow, B. (1999). Identifying and mapping community vulnerability. Disasters, 23(1), 1-18.
Mudur, G. (2005). Aid agencies ignored special needs of elderly people after tsunami. British Medical Journal, 331(7514), 422-422.
National Organization on Disability. (2005). Report on Special Needs Assessment for Katrina Evacuees (SNAKE) Project. Washington DC: Author.
Nobody Left Behind. (2004). Lessons learned from the World Trade Center disaster: emergency preparedness for people with disabilities in New York. Author. Retrieved October 8, 2005, from http://rtcil.org/lesson.htm
Oliver, M. (1990). The politics of disablement. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Oosters, B. (2005). Looking with a disability lens at the disaster caused by the Tsunami in South-East Asia. Brussels: CBM International.
Priestley, M. (1998). Constructions and creations: Idealism, materialism and disability theory. Disability & Society, 13(1), 75-94.
Priestley, M., & Hemingway, L. (2006). Disability and disaster recovery: A tale of two cities? Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation.
Rawal, V., Fautin, C., Moore, J.-L., Kalonge, S., Walden, V. M., & Bhattacharjee, A. (2005). Multi-agency evaluation of Tsunami response: India and Sri Lanka. CARE International, Oxfam GB & World Vision International. Retrieved December, 2005, from http://www.alnap.org/tec/pdf/IWG_IN_LK_Evaluation_20050901.pdf
SEEDS. (2001). High powered committee on disaster management: Report on women, children, aged and challenged in disasters. Government of India. Retrieved October 10, 2005, from http://www.benfieldhrc.org/disaster_studies/disability&disasters/hpc_seed.pdf
Shaw, R., & Goda, K. (2004). From disaster to sustainable community planning and development: The Kobe Experiences. Disaster Prevention and Management, 28(1), 16-40.
Smith, K. (2001). Environmental hazards: Assessing risk and reducing disaster (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.
Sri Lanka Department of Census and Statistics. (2005). Preliminary report 2: Census of buildings and persons affected by the Tsunami 2004. Hambantota District: Thissamaharama DS Division.
TamilNet. (2005). Child vision survey identifies five thousand disabled in East. Retrieved September, 2005, from http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=15690
Timmermann, P. (1981). Vulnerability, resilience and the collapse of society. Toronto: Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Toronto.
Travis, J. (2005). Hurricane Katrina - Scientists' fears come true as hurricane floods New Orleans. Science, 309(5741), 1656-+.
United Nations, & International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. (2004). Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiatives. Geneva: Author.
US Geological Survey. (2005). Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake. Retrieved November, 2005, from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqinthenews/2004/usslav/
Wisner, B. (2002). Disability and disaster: Victimhood and agency in earthquake risk reduction. In C. Rodrigue & E. Rovai (Eds.), Earthquakes. London: Routledge.
World Health Organisation. (2005a). Disasters, disability and rehabilitation. Retrieved October 8, 2005, from http://www.who.int/entity/violence_injury_prevention/other_injury/disaster_disability2.pdf
World Health Organisation. (2005b). Injuries and disability: priorities and management for populations affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Asia. Retrieved October 10, 2005, from http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/other_injury/tsunami/en/print.html
Yamin, F., Rahman, A., & Huq, S. (2005). Vulnerability, adaptation and climate disasters: A conceptual overview. Ids Bulletin-Institute of Development Studies, 36(4), 1-14.
Article Sidebar
Published
Dec 17, 2014
Article Details
Issue
Section
Forums
RDS Journal is an open-access journal, create a free account to read full articles and to submit a proposal. For visual arts and multimedia, submission will be considered evidence that you are offering RDS the right to display your work without penalty, compensation or royalties.
Author Biographies
Laura Hemingway, Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds
Laura Hemingway is a doctoral research student in Disability Studies at the Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds, UK.
Mark Priestley, Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds
Mark Priestley is Reader in Disability Studies and at the Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds, UK.