Strengthening community disaster resilience in uncertain times

A multi-level analysis of an Australian bushfire

Bibliographic Data

ID22027872
AuthorsMatthew Daly (0000-0003-1974-6884, University of Wollongong, corresponding author), Tillmann Böhme (0000-0002-3462-1134), Tillmann Boehme (0000-0003-1889-0518, University of Wollongong), Neil Turner (0000-0003-4555-0404, Cranfield University), James Aitken (0000-0002-9871-1809, University of Surrey), Alan Green (0000-0002-3964-7616, University of Wollongong), Scott Mckinnon (0000-0002-8903-7824, La Trobe University), Christine Eriksen (0000-0002-2906-9680, University of Bern), Paul Cooper (0000-0003-3730-2953, University of Wollongong)
Year2026
Volume133
Pages106000
Publication date2026-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2212-4209
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ijdrr.2026.106000
OpenAlexW7118539325
LanguageEN
References cited63

This paper examines how community groups develop resilience over time through influencing and interacting with different societal levels throughout the phases of the disaster management cycle: prevention, preparation, response, and recovery. This provides an opportunity for a more insightful and holistic understanding of the factors involved in resilience. The macro/governmental level shapes governance of bushfire management and resources; the micro level reflects the actions of individual and households; while the meso-level represents local community groups providing a bridge between the two through trust-based integration and collaboration. This four-year longitudinal study used a complexity analysis framework to reveal latent tensions, as well as strong social relationships and community connections. These had implications for the emergent, local-specific responses to the bushfires, based on community attributes, needs and characteristics. The work reveals the importance of the meso level as a bridge between the governmental and individual levels, which can support tailoring, reconfiguring, and organising resources to strengthen resilience. These findings also have implications for shared responsibility, as community-based organisations may disagree with objectives at other levels, eroding resilience across the entire system. The analysis in this paper indicates that careful, flexible integration of the locally specific knowledge, meso-level coordination, relationship-building, and transparent information-sharing that community-based organisation can provide, can be beneficial in effectively managing the multiple complexities of disasters. • Community resilience enhanced by bridging between organisational levels • Translational role between local context and macro policies • Effective community resilience needs buy-in from both micro and macro level actors

Community resilience · Corporate governance · Macro · Psychological resilience · Disaster Management and Resilience · Fire effects on ecosystems · Flood Risk Assessment and Management