Risk of natural hazards and the coping capacity of the South African community in Auckland

Abstract

Purpose

The risks of natural hazards such as flooding, earthquakes, tsunami, landslides, tornado, coastal erosion and volcano are apparent in Auckland because of its vulnerability to multiple risks. The coping capacity of individuals serves as a precursor to the adaptation to inherent challenges. The purpose of this paper was to examine the coping capacity of the South African community in Auckland to a disaster event.

Design/methodology/approach

This study gathered information from both primary and secondary sources. Interviews and survey were the main sources of primary data. The research used parametric and non-parametric statistical tools for quantitative data analysis, and the general inductive process and a three-step coding process to analyse qualitative data. The research findings are discussed in line with existing studies.

Findings

The results indicated that the aggregate coping capacity of the community was above average on the scale of 1-5 with communication and economic domains having the highest and least capacities, respectively. An improvement in disaster response activities and economic ability among the vulnerable population should be considered in future policy to enhance coping capacity.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to the time of the investigation. The practical coping capacity of the community during challenges will be determined. This study excludes the roles of institutions and the natural environment in coping capacity because the unit of analysis was the individual members of the community.

Originality/value

The research is a pioneer study on the coping capacity of the South African community in Auckland.

Citation

Odiase, O., Wilkinson, S. and Neef, A. (2020), "Risk of natural hazards and the coping capacity of the South African community in Auckland", International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 343-357. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-06-2019-0030