Disaster resilience

Disaster resilience has become an integral part of Australia's ability to anticipate and respond to man-made and natural disasters that pose population-level threats to society, the national economy and the environment. From fire, drought and flood, to the long-term impacts of climate change, we recognise the growing importance of preparing communities to help themselves. 

We are making significant gains in the area of disaster resilience with the aim of improving community preparedness and recovery in the event of a disaster.

Through high-quality research, education and community engagement, we are challenging and supporting communities, governments and organisations to strengthen their resilience against major disasters.

Monash has a strong track-record in research related to disaster resilience. In bringing together the University's talent, resources, and research we are making a significant contribution to disaster risk reduction. Our ambition is backed by our expertise across many areas including:

• disaster epidemiology
• injury prevention and management
• emergency and disaster health
• terrorism research and response
• robotics for rescue, relief, security and emergency management
• natural resource management
• sustainable communities
• long term health implications of emergency/ major events
• communications systems (early warning systems)
• human factors and systems research
• emergency management and response
• basic, clinical and health social sciences across many disciplines.

Our research is driven by three key initiatives:

• Monash Disaster Resilience Initiative
• Reducing violence after natural disasters
• Post-tsunami resettlement project

Post-tsunami resettlement project

While methods for responding quickly to natural disasters and getting immediate assistance to affected communities are well known, less is known about the design and management of longer-term reconstruction. Through a comparative analysis of resettlement projects, a new study led by the Monash Asia Institute will generate information on what types of interventions are most effective. The project will examine political and institutional factors including policy-making and coordination, consultative arrangements and the relationships between donors, various levels of government, NGOs and civil society. The aim is to distil a set of ‘best practices' for use by aid agencies and policy-makers in the ongoing rehabilitation of tsunami-affected communities and, more generally, in the design of future post-disaster interventions in developing countries.