What is meant by the term 'disaster resilience'?

The term 'disaster resilience' refers to the ability of a community to adapt and recover from disasters. This encompasses a wide range of human, social, economic, and physical resources and actions that enable communities to withstand and bounce back from adverse events. Disaster resilience is not just about surviving an event; it also involves the capacity to learn from past experiences and improve resilience strategies for the future.

This concept emphasizes preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation stages of disaster management. Communities that are resilient can effectively manage the stresses imposed by disasters, whether they are natural or man-made. They have systems in place to ensure continuity of services, support for affected individuals, and restoration of infrastructure. By fostering strong community bonds, effective leadership, and strategic planning, these communities minimize the impact disasters have and recover more swiftly.

In contrast, being able to prevent all disasters from occurring is unrealistic, as many disasters are unpredictable or unavoidable. The level of funding available for disaster recovery is important, but it does not encapsulate the broader concept of resilience, which includes community capacity and preparedness. Finally, measures taken to dismiss a disaster as unimportant do not align with the principle of resilience, which is about recognizing threats and building capabilities to deal with them effectively.