1. Reflections on
resilience and
communication
Prof. David Alexander
CESPRO - University of Florence

2. Source: World Disasters Report 2005
Wisdom: ability to take decisions
on the basis of principles,
experience and knowledge
Knowledge: understanding of how
things function (or should function)
Information: description of
physical and social situations
Data: basic facts and statistics
COMMUNICATION

3. Resilience [Resiliency]:
• definition: readily recovering
from shock, buoyant
• the term is derived from rheology, the
science of the deformation of matter
• as with materials, so with society:
aim for the optimum combination of
ability to resist and absorb shocks
• resilience is an amalgam of attitude,
preparedness and redundancy.

4. Attitude:
• positive outlook
RESILIENCE
• ingenious approaches
• searching for solutions
• involving other people
Redundancy
• expensive but worthwhile
• alternative solutions
Preparedness: • extra capacity
• emergency plans
• monitoring & forecasting
• warning & evacuation
• public information

5. Causes of disaster
natural geophysical,
technological, social
RESILIENCE
History
Human Adaptation single and
cultures to risk cumulative
constraints impact
and of past
opportunities disasters
IMPACTS

6. PEOPLE'S IDEAS WHETHER
ABOUT POSSIBLE RISK HAS
DAMAGE AND LOSS BEEN ABATED
ABILITY TO ACCESS TO
PERCEIVE RISK INFORMATION
HOW PEOPLE
PERCEIVE RISK
EXPERIENCE PROPENSITY
WITH RISK TO DENY RISK
ABILITY TO
REDUCE RISK:
• money
• expertise
• knowledge
• resources

7. -
negative
Risk perception
factors +
positive
Total
vulnerability
Risk DIALECTIC Risk
amplification mitigation
factors factors

8. Emergency not decoded
Images
Ignorance of reality
Cultural filter Symbolic
constructions
Perceptual filter
Diffusion of information Enlightenment
Emergency decoded

9. Optimisation Process
Emergency
Technology
response
Message
Perception
Plan
Social
Culture
factors

10. Emergency
Emergency
co-ordination
procedures
plan
The emergency
environment
Real-time
Spontaneous
contingency
improvisation
planning

11. Emergency management:
an evolutionary approach
Civil defence...............Civil protection
Proxy Participatory
Command and control Collaboration
Vertical chain Task forces
of command Population consulted
Population excluded and included
Law and order Problem solving
Secrecy Openness

12. Command
Locus of function
control principle
Tension of Spectrum of
opposites alternatives
Locus of Support
collaboration function
(support) principle

13. Order..................Chaos
Locus of
Directed.......Ungovernable
control
Control.......Loss of control
Autonomy.........Constraint
Locus of
collaboration Initiative.......Obey orders
(support)
Collaboration.."Freelancing"

15. +
• utilised Disaster
• adopted risk
• learned reduced
Analysis
Past
Lessons
events
• registered
- •
•
archived Vulnerability
forgotten maintained.
• ignored

16. Health Contingency
system planning
Emergency Search
Emergency
medical and
response response rescue
Emergency Emergency
communications management

17. Bem-hajam
pela atenção
dispensada!