Questionnaire

1. Trust in authorities (Delprato et al. 2022)
To what extent does the person trust both the local and the national authorities? Do they think their way of operating is efficient and transparent?
*High level of trust is associated with citizens being more likely to follow guidelines and instructions before, during or after an emergency to keep themselves and others safe.
2. People with disabilities (McGlade et al., 2019)
How many people with disabilities exist within the community?
*Individuals with disabilities tend to be more vulnerable to physical, social, and economic challenges.
3. Food Waste (proposed by Portugal CSA)
The indicator is defined as the amount of food waste generated per year divided by the average population of the country.
*Food waste indicates a lack of sensitivity to food shortages and, therefore, lack of sustainability practices. Waste is the opposite of conserving and allowing better management of reserves in storage
4. % of children in population <18 years old (Links et al., 2018)
How many underage people are there within the community population?
*Children and teenagers have less knowledge and experience with disasters and crises and are usually in need of guidance from an older figure (parent, teacher etc.).
5. % of elderly people (Links et al, 2018)
How many elderly people are there in the community population?
*Elderly people tend to be less mobile and they can find it more difficult to prepare for disasters and to adapt to extreme circumstances. Also, many people over 70 require assistance from family, neighbors, and others, which might not be available during a disaster.
6. Community Participation in Decision Making (COSA, Committee on Sustainability Assessment)
To what extent do the local citizens participate in the decision making regarding their communities? Is there a transparent and accessible voting process?
*Participating in the electoral process and/or taking part in the decision making strengthens the feeling of belonging in a community and gives the citizens an active role in the development of the community policies.
7. Place Attachment (Delprato et al., 2022)
To what extent are the citizens emotionally connected to their place of residence? Do they feel a sense of belonging in their local area?
*Place attachment encourages citizens to invest time and energy to improve resilience of their community e.g. by engaging in resilience activities, etc. In addition the lesser the change in a community’s population the greater the affective affiliation and identification with said community.
8. Average Life Expectancy (Garschagen et al. 2016)
How many years do people live on average in the community?
*The average life expectancy of a community reflects its well-being levels and the quality of its medical services.
9. Hospital Beds Capacity (Delprato et al., 2022)
How many available hospital beds are there for the community citizens?
*How many available hospital beds are there for the community citizens?
10. Medical Professional Capacity (Edgemon et al., 2020)
How many medical practitioners are available to the community?
*Lack of access to physicians is related to lower levels of overall community resilience as indicated by low birth weight and premature mortality. In addition, physicians are a critical emergency resource in the response to and recovery from a disaster.
11. Health Insurance (Edgemon et al., 2020)
Do people have health insurance either public or private?
*Do people have health insurance either public or private?
12. Shortage of communication networks (Cardoso et al., 2020)
Would a significant loss of service be expected for a significant proportion of the city in the ‘worst case’ scenario event?
*It is important for the community to be aware, prior to a disaster, of the strength and capacities of its communication services, in order to prepare alternative communication networks, in case every other system falls short.
13. Internet Access (Delprato et al., 2022)
How many citizens have mobile connection access and/or can access internet services through their phone?
*Broadband internet access allows citizens to receive information from various sources and cross-check it in order to take proper action. In addition, stable and fast internet connection can be an indicator of economic development of a society.
14. Educational Attainment (Edgemon et al., 2020)
How many citizens hold a high-school diploma?
*Higher levels of education are associated with health, as well as an improved ability to communicate and comprehend information. They are also a characteristic of a strong labor force and the individuals’ ability to access community resources. In addition higher levels of education can improve the capacity to prepare for, and respond to, the stress of disasters.
15. Public School Capacity (Edgemon et al, 2020)
Does the community have an adequate number of schools to accommodate its pupils?
*Public schools are a measure of response and recovery capacity, as they represent the community’s ability to provide safe shelter for individuals and facilitate evacuations. In addition, more availability of schools can increase the ability to maintain schooling after a disaster.
16. Event Management Plans (Cardoso et al., 2020)
Is there a disaster management/ preparedness/ emergency response plan outlining city mitigation, preparedness and response to local emergencies?
*Event Management Plans should be pre-determined and include the several distinct levels of a community in order to address all the possible needs that may rise due to the hazards’ impact.
17. Emergency Preparedness Training (Delprato et al., 2022)
Are both the locals and the authorities properly trained in order to take action in the face of various hazards? Is the training up to date and repeated in adequate time frames?
*The knowledge and experience that people in a community possess in emergency preparedness (derived from previous disaster experiences as well), constitutes relevant factors towards the development of appropriate behavior and is beneficial for mitigation of local hazards and related risks.
18. Emergency meeting stations (Delprato et al., 2022)
Are there enough and adequate predetermined emergency meeting stations where the local citizens are expected to meet in case of an emergency?
*Every community should have pre-determined emergency meeting stations. Those places should be safe and prepared to meet the needs of the citizens (e.g. food deposits, flashlights etc.) It is very important that all community members are informed about the exact location and the capacity of these meeting stations. They should also be accessible to everyone and within reasonable distance even from the most remote locations of the community.
19. Food, shelter, staple goods and fuel supply (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), 2017)
Would the city be able to continue to feed and shelter its population post-event?
*It is important for the community to assess its citizens' basic needs prior to a disaster happening so that it can organize its supplies and avoid shortages of any kind.
20. Emergency experience (Delprato et al., 2022)
Level of knowledge based on previous experience of community members with local hazards, emergency preparedness and mitigation strategies (emergency plans) and disaster response.
*The knowledge and experience that people in a community possess in emergency preparedness (derived from previous disaster experiences as well), constitutes relevant factors towards the development of appropriate behavior and is beneficial for mitigation of local hazards and related risks.
21. Early Warning Systems (EWS) and Reach of Warning (Delprato et al., 2022)
What is the prevalence of EWS in the community? How many people are within the EWS reach and are they familiar with their use?
*To reduce the impact of possible hazards on the population of a community, the use and efficiency of early warning systems (population covered and effective understanding by the public) and other forms of communication and information dissemination are important factors to assess.
22. Hazard Assessment (Delprato et al., 2022)
Existence of hazard assessment(s) (knowledge of key hazards that the city community faces, including likelihood of occurrence)
*Each community should have prior knowledge of the possible hazards that may occur within its reach and their possible impact. Knowing how vulnerable a community is and to which specific hazards, can help the authorities devise a more adequate plan against disasters and thus help increase the overall resilience of the community.
23. Post event recovery planning—( decided pre event) (Cardoso et al, 2020)
Is there a strategy or process in place for post-event recovery and reconstruction, including economic reboot, societal aspects etc.?
*A community that has a pre-decided plan of action for post event recovery is more likely to act and recover faster from a disaster. Quick and efficient response can also mitigate the hazards’ effects and possibly prevent further impact of the disaster.
24. Plan for resilience (Cardoso et al, 2020)
Does the city community have a municipally approved resilience plan (strategy or action plan)? And what is its timeframe?
*Since community resilience can be measured and assessed, it is suggested that cities conduct their own resilience plan that addresses the regions and the citizens’ specified needs.
25. Emergency services (Delprato et al., 2022)
What are the available emergency services of the community?
*Lack of adequately trained resources and services, capable of effectively dealing with disaster-related risks, limits a community's ability to cope with the consequences of a disaster.
26. Financial plan and budget for resilience, including contingency funds (Cardoso et al, 2020)
The budget, resources and funds that are reserved for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Does the city have in place a specific "ring fenced" protected budget, the necessary resources and contingency funds arrangements for local disaster risk reduction (DRR) (mitigation, prevention, response and recovery)?
*Both preparing for as well as dealing with a disaster always require a certain budget in order to cover all the financial and practical needs that may arise. Each community should have a pre-disposed budget for resilience and/or know where and how to look for emergency funds during a disaster.
27. Corruption of Authorities (Proposed by Portugal CSA)
Are the outputs and outcomes of the emergency governance transparent? Do the local institutions follow the rules of best practice?
*Transparency and accountability, as well as the absence of conflicts of interest, are key in delivering effective emergency plans.
28. Lessons learnt /learning loops (Delprato et al., 2022 & Cardoso et al, 2020)
Do post-event assessment processes incorporate failure analyses and the ability to capture lessons learned that then feed into the design and delivery of rebuilding projects?
*It is important for a community to learn from past disasters by assessing and reviewing both its successes and its failures in order to design better policies for future events.
29. Efficiency and Effectiveness (Delprato et al., 2022)
Evaluation of the community's level of effectiveness and efficiency, measured through the implementation of practices aimed at monitoring performance and interchange of best practices.
*The efficiency and effectiveness evaluation of a community, is a useful factor for the overall improvement of a community's vulnerability; understood in terms of willingness to constantly review and evaluate services provided and establishment of policies to improve performance by implementing new practices.
30. Median Household Income (Links et al, 2018)
What is the average median household income in the community?
*Low-income households are at greater risk because they tend to live in lower-quality housing situated in higher risk areas, are less likely to have prepared for a disaster, and have fewer resources to support recovery.
31. Disaster Risk Financing (Delprato et al., 2022)
Accessibility and strength of household and non-domestic insurance in the community for damage and losses suffered as a result of natural disasters
*High levels of insurance cover and resilience incentives cover means that a community is more likely to recover from a disaster more quickly. Insurance can help withstand the immediate shock of a disaster, while resilience incentivisation can help ensure that businesses/households are fiscally prepared.
32. Income Inequality (Pfeiffer, 2019)
Income inequality shows how unevenly income is distributed throughout a population. The less equal the distribution, the higher income inequality is.
*The economic environment is a major factor in a community’s resilience; and when income inequality is present, earnings tend to be distributed in a way that does not support broader community goals. In addition, a skewed distribution of economic resources may negatively affect the cohesiveness of the residents’ response to a disaster.
33. Unemployment Rate (McGlade et al., 2019 & Pfeiffer, 2019)
How many people are unemployed at the moment?
*High levels of employment contribute to a healthy community economy, which supports community resilience. Employment also provides residents with financial resources that contribute to their livelihoods. In addition, unemployed persons do not have the employee benefit plans that provide income and health cost assistance in the event of injury or death.
34. Building codes and standards (Delprato et al., 2022 & Cardoso et al., 2020)
Do building codes or standards exist, and do they address specific known hazards and risks for the city? Are these standards regularly updated?
*The availability of zoning and land use regulations, as well as the existence of building standards, is potentially an important parameter in addressing natural hazards and reducing impacts on the environment and urban structure. However, the extent to which these rules and codes are enforced is equally relevant, as their non-application or limited application could result in a failure or partial achievement of the purposes behind them.
35. Existing protective infrastructure (Delprato et al., 2022 & Cardoso et al., 2020)
Is existing protective infrastructure designed and built according to risk information? Does it reduce potential damage to people and goods from natural and man-made hazards?
*The existence of adequate, effective and well-maintained protective infrastructures designed to protect against specific or multiple hazards, reduces the vulnerability of exposed value (people and assets).
36. Water Access (Delprato et al., 2022)
This indicator shows how well the water infrastructure system covers the population living in a given community, irrespective of community and energy grid specificities. The indicator includes access to public potable water (incl. purified water), private potable water and sewage.
*A community with higher access to water and sanitation is more resilient during hazardous events and faster in the recovery phase.
37. Natura 2000 protected areas (Resilience Dashboards for the Social and Economic, Green, Digital, and Geopolitical Dimensions, 2021)
Natura 2000 is a network of protected areas covering Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats.
*Natura 2000 protected areas can help mitigate the effects of climate change by providing natural storage capacity for carbon, by increasing capture of carbon dioxide in natural ecosystems, by reducing the risks of and impacts from extreme events and by reducing impacts of sea level rise, thus contributing to the overall resilience of the community (European Commission Directorate - General for Environment, 2014)
38. Exposure to heat (Delprato et al., 2022)
The degree to which the population and natural environment are exposed to the negative effects of heat wave events and heat-related health impacts.
*The strong increases of heat stress has a high impact namely in public health and in mortality indicator in central and partly northern Europe and, on a lower level, in eastern Europe as well (Lung, Lavalle, Hiederer, Dosio, and Bouwer, 2013)
39. Exposure to landslides and avalanches (Delprato et al., 2022)
Landslides and avalanches are external geologic processes called “mass wasting.”
*Landslides not only kill people but also have an extremely serious impact in terms of hindering rescue operations and the supply of aid and can cause long-term damage to communication and electricity networks.
40. Exposure to flooding and area of operational floodplain (Delprato et al., 2022)
The area of the operational floodplain is a good indicator for several resilience characteristics. It is an indicator of ecosystem structure and function. A growth in this indicator should be interpreted as a rise in resilience.
*This can raise awareness of the risks of depleting natural capital assets in own and neighboring communities can have on community resilience. A functioning floodplain is important for regulating flood risk, but it also contributes to other services such as silt deposition, soil formation and providing a diverse ecosystem structure.
41. Exposure to forest fire (Delprato et al., 2022)
The degree to which the natural environment is exposed to the negative effects of forest fires or wildfire events.
*Forest fire seasons are becoming more and more frequent worldwide, and large wildfires are having unusual impacts on people and property, in spite of several investments to support social–ecological resilience to wildfires.