Constructing a Composite Disaster Resilience Index towards Natural Disasters in Mauritius

Abstract

Mauritius is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) which faces regular environmental hazards due to its geographical location. Building disaster-resilient communities has become the goal of many disaster risk reduction (DRR) frameworks. This study aimed at quantifying the resilience of the population of Mauritius towards natural disasters using statistics drawn from secondary sources of data. A Composite Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI), which ranged from 0 to 100, was established. Four indicators and sixteen sub-indicators which reflected domains of resilience in terms of community capacity, economic, built-up environment and social, were used to develop the CDRI. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to map the CDRI across 144 administrative areas, which included 124 Village Council Areas (VCAs) and 20 Municipal Council Wards (MCWs), for a visual representation. Resilience indices were classified into least and most resilient. Results showed a spatial variation in resilience levels towards natural disasters across the administrative areas. Nearly fifty percent of the eleven most resilient communities were found in urban areas (MCWs). Twelve administrative areas were the least resilient towards natural disasters and emerged from rural (VCAs) and marginalised areas only. Coastal villages of Grand Sable, Quatre-Soeurs, Bambous-Virieux, Le Morne and Case Noyale formed a cluster of least resilient communities along the East coast. A t-test analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in resilience levels between urban and rural regions at p < 0.05. Results suggested that infrastructure and the social capacity building were likely to be less developed in rural areas than in urban areas. Findings also demonstrated that most VCAs and MCWs performed less well in community resilience when compared to the rest of the dimensions of resilience. Results provided evidence with potential to help decision-makers in the allocation of resources to improve resilience in Mauritius.