Community Stability in the Aftermath of Climate-Related Disasters: Integrating WPS and DRR for Better Outcomes

Oct 18, 2024 | Maryruth Belsey Priebe

In September 2024, heavy monsoon rains caused severe flooding in several states of India where the intense rainfall damaged infrastructure and agricultural land, which exacerbated the challenges faced by local communities. Thousands of people were affected, with many forced to evacuate their homes and seek shelter in relief camps. The floods not only disrupted daily life but also posed serious risks to public health and safety, particularly for vulnerable populations such as women and children. Reports highlight the urgent need for effective disaster response strategies that prioritize gender-sensitive approaches to ensure equitable access to resources and support for those most impacted by such climate-related disasters.

The increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related floods like this, as well as hurricanes, landslides, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters, pose significant challenges to community stability and national security. These disasters can disrupt social cohesion and economic systems, exacerbate existing conflicts, and create new tensions that can undermine peace and stability. Using a human security lens, it is easy to see how women’s safety and security can have a profound impact on community stability and national security. Women also play critical roles in relief and recovery efforts, and as such must be included in the planning and implementation of disaster risk reduction efforts to ensure continued community stability and peace.

The Impact of Climate-Related Disasters on Community Stability

Climate-related disasters disrupt the fabric of communities, often leading to displacement, loss of livelihoods, and increased vulnerability. These disruptions can exacerbate existing social and economic inequalities, leading to heightened tensions and potential conflict. The salience of such issues for national defense becomes clear when we consider that climate-caused natural disasters can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, increase the likelihood of conflict over resources, and disrupt governance, leading to national and regional instabilities. Typhoons, wildfires, heatwaves, and other extreme weather may result in mass population movements and economic disruptions, and are likely to pose significant challenges to global security and cooperation, necessitating coordinated international responses.

In the aftermath of such disasters, the stability of communities is crucial for preventing further escalation of conflict and ensuring long-term peace. A detailed review of the literature by Piccone (2017) argues that the security of women is closely linked to national security and stability, with evidence showing that nations where women do not enjoy physical security, communities tend to be less peaceful and less prosperous. Ensuring community stability, therefore, requires addressing the unique challenges faced by women and other marginalized groups during and after disasters.

If history is any indication, the recent flooding in India is likely to increase women’s instabilities on many fronts. When a similar flood struck the northeastern Indian state of Bihar in August 2017, the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas. At the time, nearly 3,000 square kilometers of the state were under water – an area twice the size of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. According to official figures, the disaster killed 815 people and forced nearly 900,000 people from their homes, leaving many with no choice but to live on roads, rail tracks, and rooftops. The floods not only disrupted daily life but also posed serious risks to public health and safety, particularly for vulnerable populations such as women and children. Invisible from the prime minister’s helicopter, however, was the increased violence and insecurity unleashed upon girls and women of the region in the wake of the disaster. The floods exacerbated gender inequalities and increased the vulnerability of women to violence and harassment. 

These types of disasters frequently create stressors that exacerbate violence against women and girls, with women facing greater challenges than men due to pre-existing social, economic, and cultural inequalities. These disasters also lead to greater out-migration, especially for marginalized communities, with men often migrating to other parts of the country to work, leaving women behind with few income opportunities. Disasters can also have the effect of amplifying son preference practices, which can result in added pressure on women to give birth to male children, and frequently also exacerbating violence against women.

The Role of Women in Relief and Recovery

Women play crucial roles in community resilience and resource management, which are essential for fostering holistic recovery and addressing the unique needs of vulnerable populations. Including women in relief and recovery efforts is not just a matter of equity but also a strategic necessity for ensuring continued community stability and peace. By integrating gender perspectives, disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies can more accurately identify and mitigate risks, facilitating more inclusive policies that enhance the safety and well-being of the entire population. Empowering women in DRR activities strengthens community resilience, as women play key roles in families and communities and possess valuable local knowledge and networks.

The integration of women in disaster response is particularly important for addressing the disproportionate impacts that women and girls often face during disasters. Women and girls typically face greater challenges due to pre-existing social, economic, and cultural inequalities, such as limited access to resources, healthcare, and decision-making processes. By including women in relief and recovery efforts, these inequalities can be addressed more effectively, ensuring that the needs of all community members are met and that the recovery process is inclusive and equitable.

Integrating Gender Considerations in DRR Policies

Despite the clear benefits of including women in disaster response, the integration of gender considerations into DRR is often overlooked, resulting in "gender-neutral" or minimally "gender-aware" strategies. Failing to incorporate diverse women's experiences, knowledge, and leadership in these contexts perpetuates existing inequalities and undermines the effectiveness of disaster responses. A possible avenue for addressing gendered insecurities and including women as leaders in DRR planning could be through the integration of DRR principles into Women, Peace and Security (WPS) National Action Plans (NAPs).

Two countries that have begun to address gender within disaster scenarios are the U.S. and Japan, though the practical application of these principles in both countries has been challenging. Japan's 2023 WPS NAP DRR through several key pillars. These include promoting equal participation of women in conflict prevention and resolution, addressing sexual and gender-based violence, and focusing on disaster risk reduction and response to climate change. The plan emphasizes the importance of women's inclusion in decision-making processes, particularly in emergency and humanitarian assistance. In consultation with women’s organizations and gender-focused academics, Japan has also developed the “Evacuation Shelter Checklist” which outlines essential gender-responsive requirements for evacuation shelters, including stockpiled supplies like feminine hygiene products and safety alarms, as well as specific shelter requirements such as private spaces for nursing mothers and separate toilets for men and women. By addressing the unique needs of different genders during disasters, this checklist serves as a model for enhancing gender-responsive disaster management practices globally. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in the implementation of Japan’s WPS NAP, especially in avoiding gender essentialization and adopting a more comprehensive gender-informed human security perspective in disaster response.

The U.S. Strategy and NAP on WPS, also published in 2023, integrates DRR perspectives. The plan focuses on protecting women and girls following disasters, addressing sexual and gender-based violence, and integrating gender analysis into disaster response strategies. It emphasizes the importance of women's leadership in disaster preparedness and equitable distribution of humanitarian aid. While the U.S. has made some progress, such as deploying Gender Advisors in military units for disaster response, challenges remain. These include a lack of interagency cooperation on WPS implementation and more robust training needed for military service members. The delegation of gender mainstreaming directives primarily to USAID has led to compartmentalization within humanitarian assistance and disaster relief contexts, hindering effective coordination in implementing WPS principles across all military branches.

Recommendations for Improving Gender-Responsive Disaster Management

The integration of gender perspectives into DRR plans and HA/DR policies is essential for creating inclusive, effective, and sustainable disaster response efforts. To address the challenges with integrating WPS into DRR and HA/DR policies, I have elsewhere made several recommendations for improving the integration of WPS and DRR principles in federal policymaking to improve the outcomes of communities following disasters, including training and deployment of more military service members as gender specialists; development of enhanced checklists for disaster management; improved interagency coordination. With these investments, both countries can improve gender-responsive disaster management practices and lead to more effective and equitable outcomes in HA/DR operations, thereby strengthening overall national and human security.

Maryruth Belsey Priebe (mbp@aXXelerate.org) is the Co-Founder of aXXelerate, a firm that works to bring gender perspectives into every security conversation. She researches solutions to the profound and uniquely gendered security threats faced by communities grappling with the impact of climate change. Ms. Belsey Priebe is the Co-Chair of the Gender Interest Group of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association (“EnPAx-GIG”).