Community Resilience Assessment of Cohesion and Connectedness, Leadership, Response and Preparedness to Flooding among Coastal Communities in South-South, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the community cohesion and connectedness, leadership and response to flooding among coastal communities in South-south Nigeria. The study made use of 400 copies of questionnaire to elicit information on the data on demographic and socio-economic characteristics; data on levels of social vulnerability in terms of exposure, susceptibility and adaptive capacity of the households to flood. The study employed the multistage sampling technique involving purposive, simple random and systematic sampling techniques. Descriptive statistics were employed for the data analysis. Also, inferential statistics involving principal component analysis (PCA) were employed to test hypotheses. Findings showed that community collectiveness in problem solving, knowledge of problem solving, social cohesion/cooperation and hopeful futuristic plan as the four principal components or variables of community cohesion and connectedness in flood management (Component Loadings=±≥0.8). Findings also showed that the unwillingness of a good percentage of the people across the selected communities of becoming leaders in their respective communities. The second ranked item showed that 61.6% of the people across the selected states stated that leadership opportunities are available to people who live in the community. The third ranked item showed that 71% of the people alleged that leaders in their respective communities are effective and are able to provide emergency services during a flood disaster. Results also showed that ccommunity response and preparedness in flood management is largely controlled experience of community in flood risk management (0.865) and active preparedness of community for future disasters (0.834). It can be concluded that the devastating impact of flood can be managed when with effective leadership and community cohesion in the coastal areas. Based on the research findings the study recommended among others that the community should be encouraged to come up with measure to increase their adaptive capacity to flood. The establishment of effective leadership at the community level is imperative in food mitigation.

Keywords: Community, Cohesion, Connectedness, Leadership, Flooding, Response, Coastal communities

DOI: 10.7176/JEES/13-6-02

Publication date:August 31^st 2023