Browsing by Author "Auliagisni W"

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    Learning from Floods—How a Community Develops Future Resilience
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-10-01) Auliagisni W; Wilkinson S; Elkharboutly M
    Settlements close to rivers, the sea, and hills are among those most vulnerable to floods. The hilly terrain region experiences higher rainfall than the lowlands due to the orographic effect. As a result, excessive rains feeding major rivers cause a rapid rise in water level resulting in frequent breaks of the riverbanks. The flood hence covers the inhabited lowlands with water and silt, causing loss of lives and properties. The affected communities need practical coping alternatives to deal with the intensity and the increasing exposure to floods. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6) identify the sustainable management of water and sanitation as one of their key objectives. This study identifies resilience in practice focusing on how communities create resilience and develop sustainable river catchment management. A qualitative method was used, involving observations, interviews, and community surveys with one of the most flood-prone populations, the New Zealand Northland community. A desktop study containing government publications and flood records compliments the thematic analysis result and strengthens the discussions. Social connections, participation in self-protection training, and maintaining the catchment were among the main findings of the study. This study recommends for community-led response plans integrated with infrastructure improvements and collaboration with councils to reduce the risk of future floods.
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    Using community-based flood maps to explain flood hazards in Northland, New Zealand
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2022-04-01) Auliagisni W; Wilkinson S; Elkharboutly M
    Floods are among the most common and destructive natural disasters in New Zealand, and climate change is anticipated to make them even more frequent and severe. A clear and comprehensive flood map is critical to communicating flood hazard to communities at risk. Mitigation, adapting, and informed decisions making could be efficiently accomplished with the clear flood maps. However, existing flood maps appear to have been developed for professionals, complex, and not easily available for communities living in flood hazard areas. This study examines how, using flood maps, risk communication between local authorities and the communities can be improved. Observational surveys and in-depth interviews were used to acquire descriptive information and in-depth understanding of risks within the communities in the Northland, New Zealand. Thematic analysis of the findings revealed that the current flood maps are not easy to acquire and hard to comprehend. Without knowledge, communities develop a false sense of security, especially where there is inadequate risk communication and engagement with local authorities. This study highlights the need for a greater understanding of integrating community knowledge and experience with the current risk communication plans. Additionally, this study recommends developing more comprehensive and user-friendly flood maps using community-based information.