Abstract:
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The objectives of this dissertation were 1) To study the problem condition and
obstacles in Chiangrai earthquakes mitigation according to disaster prevention and
mitigation strategy plan. 2) To study the actors in local, provincial and national levels
of policies network in Chiangrai earthquakes mitigation 3) To study the guideline to
integrate coordination between organizations involved in the earthquakes mitigation in
Chiangrai. Data collection started from qualitative research followed by quantitative
research.
It was found that the problems and obstruction with the policy in the
Chiangrai’s preparation for earthquake according to the disaster prevention and
mitigation strategy could be described in three dimensions, following the concept of
complex adaptive system, which were the organization flexibility, the technical
infrastructure, and the cultural openness.
1) The organization flexibility dimension. It was found that the power structure
in managing the local administration and the district offices was inconsistent. Many
organization’s works were redundant. The provincial commanding center did not fully
act as the mediator in resource raising and information sharing. The process adjustment
according to the complaint feedback was slow. Each organization lack the adaptation
and understanding in other organization’s role in the shared mission during the crisis.
The earthquake drills were mostly the practice of interior rescue, rather than the practice
of commanding between organizations and the affected area.
2) The Technical Infrastructure dimension. It was found that the communities
lack the skill and the experience in self-organization during the disaster. The local
officers did not let the community to participate in the sub-district disaster management
planning. Cross-duty resource raising or working in the place of each other were
limited. The adjustment of risk management plan according to the professional
engineering knowledge was limited. The amendment of the local regulations in building
control was not found. And there was the obstruction in spending the budget to prepare
for the disaster.
3) The Cultural Openness dimension. It was found that the provincial
commanding unit perceived that the local administrative organizations and the
communities as the weak and passive, rather than being able to self-organize. And the
operation officers would only follow the orders. The plan adjustment and the operation
in disaster prevention and mitigation in the local level and the provincial level was not
continuous. There was also the government culture problems in which the officers in
the system lack the conscience to connect with other organization. They would not
emphasis the official operation adjustment according to the feedback from the
unofficial actors, and would not accept the mission in temporary data management
without the permanent structure in the district organization. There was also limited
priority for the community and the local capabilities development.
The social network analysis demonstrated the relationship of the actors from the
government sector, the people sector, and the civil society who were involved in
disaster management, that the topology of the network was decentralize. Most
relationship were connected to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). As the
Chiangrai province had the operation plan during the earthquake that designated the
roles of each organization in the emergency phases and had performed the drill
previously, the provincial operation was ready and united during the crisis. However,
during the recovery phases, the centralized management became the limitation when
the provincial unit lack the information system to connect the inter-organization
database. The data exchange and resource sharing among the organization could not
fully occurred. And the risk estimation for the disaster prevention plan as a whole was
also limited.
The integrated coordination in disaster risk management should start by
adjusting the disaster management power distribution in the provincial level. There
should be the inter-organization coordination in the distribution type, which would
allow the local administrative organization to flexibly communicate and exchange
resources with other organization. There should be the utilization of information
technology in data management, and the communication system, which would support
the network to adapt its form flexibly. The vertical and centralized relationship should
be replaced by the distribution structure, so that the local administrative organization
could exchange resources or coordinate with other organizations after the situation
unfolded. As for the community level, there should be the knowledge training for
people, so that they know how to conduct during the earthquake, as well as the training
of risk estimation and building renovation to withstand the seismic activity for the local
builders and the community leaders, which would encourage the risk awareness during
the preparation for disaster together with the recovery and the disaster risk control.
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