Senior Lecturer, School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji.
Associate Professor, School of Law and Social Sciences, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji.
Disasters. 2022 Jan;46(1):206-225. doi: 10.1111/disa.12462. Epub 2021 Sep 7.
This paper investigates the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Winston (2016) on rural Indo-Fijians and their response to the devastation. Studies have previously examined how rural communities in Pacific Island countries respond to severe climatic events, arguing that traditional knowledge of the climate, together with indigenous techniques, contribute substantially to recovery from a disaster. Strong communal bonds have also been identified as an influencing factor. Disaster risk reduction frameworks often assume the availability of such knowledge and capital. Yet, little research has been done on how minority groups with limited access to such knowledge and capital cope with disaster-related damage. The current study shows that rural Indo-Fijians responded to the consequences of Tropical Cyclone Winston differently to indigenous Fijians, owing to relatively limited access to traditional awareness of the climate, communal labour sharing, and intra- and/or inter-community networks. The findings point to the necessity to implement a more inclusive disaster risk reduction framework.
本文探讨了 2016 年温斯顿热带气旋对斐济印度裔农村居民的影响及其应对灾难的措施。此前的研究考察了太平洋岛国农村社区如何应对严重的气候事件，认为对气候的传统知识以及本土技术对从灾难中恢复起到了重要作用。牢固的社区关系也被认为是一个影响因素。减少灾害风险框架通常假定存在此类知识和资本。然而，关于知识和资本有限的少数群体如何应对与灾害相关的破坏，相关研究甚少。本研究表明，与斐济本土居民相比，斐济印度裔农村居民因对气候的传统认知、社区劳动共享以及社区内和/或社区间网络的相对有限获取，对温斯顿热带气旋的后果做出了不同的反应。研究结果表明，有必要实施一个更具包容性的减少灾害风险框架。
