The evolution of the disaster risk management cycle and its continuing applicability to an evolving flood threat

Abstract

Globally, hydroclimatic hazards are becoming more frequent and severe, driven by a warming climate and urbanization. With the evolving nature of flooding, research focus remains strong in this discipline. However, despite the changing nature of hydroclimatic hazards, the importance of the disaster management cycle has endured. Since its inception in 1979, the cycle has evolved, enabled by its open-system nature, through the inclusion of additional stages and stage weightings. Interpretation of the cycle has proven particularly influential in understanding how practitioners have focused most significantly on the mitigation and post-disaster stages substantiated by their continuing dominance in flood risk management. However, contemporary research and disaster risk reduction frameworks such as the Global Sendai Framework stress the importance of the preparedness stage in assisting society with an effective response and recovery. Therefore, increased research focus on the preparedness stage is viewed as a facilitator for an effective response and recovery.