Disasters
July 2014 Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 451–671
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/disa.2014.38.issue-2/issuetoc

Papers
Does need matter? Needs assessments and decision-making among major humanitarian health agencies
Martin Gerdin1,*, Patrice Chataigner2, Leonie Tax3, Anne Kubai4 and Johan von Schreeb5
Article first published online: 6 JUN 2014
DOI: 10.1111/disa.12065
Abstract
Disasters of physical origin, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, tidal waves, tropical storms, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, have affected millions of people globally over the past 100 years. Proportionately, there is far greater likelihood of being affected by such disasters in low-income countries than in high-income countries. Furthermore, low-income countries are in need of international assistance following disasters more often than high-income countries. The funding of international humanitarian assistance has increased from USD 12.9 billion in 2006 to an estimated USD 16.7 billion in 2010. The majority of this funding is channelled through humanitarian agencies and is supposed to be distributed based on the need of those affected, as assessed using needs assessments. Such needs assessments may be used to inform decisions internally, to influence others, to justify response decisions, and to obtain funding. Little is known about the quality of needs assessments in practical applications. Consequently, this paper reports on and analyses the views of operational decision-makers in major health-related humanitarian agencies on needs assessments.

Papers
The adoption of a Climate Disaster Resilience Index in Chennai, India
Jonas Joerin1,*, Rajib Shaw2, Yukiko Takeuchi3 and Ramasamy Krishnamurthy4
Article first published online: 6 JUN 2014
Abstract
Results derived from the Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI)—consisting of five dimensions (economic, institutional, natural, physical, and social), 25 parameters, and 125 variables—reflect the abilities of people and institutions to respond to potential climate-related disasters in Chennai, India. The findings of this assessment, applied in the 10 administrative zones of the city, reveal that communities living in the northern and older parts of Chennai have lower overall resilience as compared to the flourishing areas (vis-à-vis economic growth and population) along the urban fringes. The higher resilience of communities along the urban fringes suggests that urbanisation may not necessarily lead to a deterioration of basic urban services, such as electricity, housing, and water. This indication is confirmed by a strong statistical correlation between physical resilience and population growth in Chennai. The identification of the resilience of different urban areas of Chennai has the potential to support future planning decisions on the city’s scheduled expansion.