From the perspective of studying natural hazards, the peace and tranquillity that might be expected from a literal translation of its name does not always capture the reality of life for communities on the Pacific Rim. This reality is more readily discerned in its alter ego: the Ring of Fire. The latter leaves one in less doubt as to the hazardous circumstances likely to prevail in this region. In addition to the hazards posed by the numerous volcanoes that resulted in the ‘Ring of Fire’ appellation, communities situated around the Pacific Rim also have to contend with earthquakes, tsunami, storms, cyclones/typhoons, flood and bushfire. To this list of acute events can be added hazards of a chronic nature such as salinity, environmental degradation and sea-level rise that represent growing threats to many Pacific Rim countries. The region also faces increased risk from health-related hazards. Sydney, for example, has been identified as a pandemic hotspot as a result of it being a hub linking the airways of Asia and the United States.

This article examines how personal beliefs about hazard events interact with social context factors to influence how individuals interpret their relationship with their environment, assign meaning to natural hazards and their consequences, and make preparedness decisions. Building on earlier work applying the same theoretical model to volcanic hazard preparedness, this article examines earthquake and flood hazard preparedness. The study incorporates both quantitative and qualitative approaches to elicit more detailed information regarding the influences underlying individuals' decisions to adopt preparation activities to minimise the effects of natural hazards. Findings indicate that preparedness decisions are not made in isolation. Through community level discourse and processes importance is attached to natural hazards and protective measures. It is only when natural hazards are perceived as having greater salience than other threats that people are motivated to prepare for their effects. A major finding is a distinction between trust and distrust of civic authorities. The data suggest that preparedness decisions were strongly influenced by the relevance people attached to information provided by these civic authorities. Delivering hazard mitigation strategies involves engaging with community members in order to understand their needs and to render meaningful assistance to their preparedness decisions.

Women as a group may be more vulnerable to the impact of hazards, but at an individual level, they also have capacity to adapt to changing circumstances in ways that contribute to their own resilience. This paper provides examples of the ways in which some women adapt to a recurrent natural hazard to which they are exposed, in turn, providing insights on adaptive capacity at a personal level.

This article is about modelling causal-relationship factors related to disaster preparedness. A model identifying the relationships between person- and community-level factors and intention to prepare for volcanic risks is tested in communities surrounding the Mt Merapi volcano, Indonesia. The analysis extends the test of a model developed by one of the authors in an individualistic culture, New Zealand, to members of a collectivistic culture. Using the data obtained from communities situated around Mt Merapi (n = 322), analysis revealed that community-level (collective efficacy and community participation) and variables describing the quality of the relationship between community members and civic agencies played significant roles in predicting intentions to prepare for volcanic hazards. The analysis also revealed that individual-level variables (outcome expectancy) were less influential compared with studies applying the model in individualistic countries. Some policy implications related to the findings are discussed.

This study examines whether disaster experience and awareness, mediated by external locus of control, influence disaster preparedness behavior. Data were collected from 300 people in flood-prone and a further 300 in heat-wave affected areas in Orissa (a state situated in south-eastern part of India). Results reveal that prior experience of hazard events and knowledge of protective actions significantly facilitates flood and heat-wave preparedness. However, locus of control mediates this relationship. Disaster experienced and aware people characterised by having an external control were less prepared. External control partially mediates between experience–behaviour and information–action link. These findings suggest that the effects of personal experience and awareness on self-protective behaviour are weakened by external attribution.

Survivors of the 921 Earthquake in the Tung Shih areas were the target population for this study. The researchers used purposive sampling strategies to select information-rich participants for study in depth. A total of 15 interviewees and 8 focus group members participated in this study. Qualitative data analysis software, ATLAS.ti 5.5, was used for cross-case and content analyses. The results indicate that acceptance, preparedness, self-reliance, spirituality, Hakka spirit, resource availability, social support networks, and serving others have positive impacts on disaster resilience. Participants from the in-depth interviews group affirm the importance of government involvement. Participants from the focus group pay special attentions on re-establishing social support networks. Furthermore, they reinforce the importance of understanding culture and meanings for the local people.

This article reports on an investigation into the use of Incident Control Systems (e.g., AIIMS/ CIMS) by personnel involved in emergency incident management in fire and emergency services agencies in Australia and New Zealand. A questionnaire was distributed that aimed to assess how information flowed between emergency incident management personnel at different layers of the incident control system, and what enabled and constrained coordination between those personnel. Data were collected from personnel on the fire or incident ground; members of Incident Management Teams; as well as staff operating in regional and state centres of coordination. To date there have been 579 responses spread across 24 agencies. The findings reveal that while there is a high level of satisfaction with overall organisational arrangements and reporting relationships, there are some systemic tensions in, and dissatisfaction evident with, communication arrangements. The extent to which Incident Control Systems facilitate the organisational flexibility needed during dynamic and often unpredictable situations is also discussed. Where appropriate, comparisons are made with similar questionnaire data collected in 2003 by AFAC (Australasian Fire Authorities Council).

The Five Part Model or Five Areas Model has been a pivotal component of cognitive behavioural therapy and the treatment of various psychological disorders. The Five Part Model consists of five components that represent the interaction of an individual's environment, thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and physical reactions. To date the Five Part Model has primarily been used to understand what has already happened to an individual; for example, when an individual is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder or is being treated for other psychological difficulties. However, there has been limited application of the Five Part Model to the concept of resilience. Given the effectiveness of the model as an assessment and treatment tool, then it is possible that this model would also be effective in understanding how an individual deals with the aftermath of traumatic events such as disasters. Individual psychological variables are an essential part of whether an individual is resilient to adverse circumstances. However, this model should include as part of the individual's environment wider family, community and societal attributes. It is suggested that the Five Part Model be expanded to include such family, community and societal attributes to account for the influence these have on an individual's psychological resilience. A multidimensional model of resilience is proposed that will need to be scientifically tested; however, it is proposed that this model has application to the variety of disciplines that are involved in the domain of resilience. In addition, this model attempts to address any interdisciplinary barriers that exist, by ensuring that individual, family, community, and societal attributes are considered holistically as part of resilience building.

This article describes the testing of a model that proposes that people's beliefs regarding the effectiveness of hazard preparedness interact with social context factors (community participation, collective efficacy, empowerment and trust) to influence levels of hazard preparedness. Using data obtained from people living in coastal communities in Alaska and Oregon that are susceptible to experiencing tsunami, structural equation modelling analyses confirmed the ability of the model to help account for differences in levels of tsunami preparedness. Analysis revealed that community members and civic agencies influence preparedness in ways that are independent of the information provided per se. The model suggests that, to encourage people to prepare, outreach strategies must (a) encourage community members to discuss tsunami hazard issues and to identify the resources and information they need to deal with the consequences a tsunami would pose for them and (b) ensure that the community-agency relationship is complementary and empowering.