Delphi-based consensus study into a framework of community resilience to disaster

Disasters cannot be prevented but their impacts can be mitigated through adapted disaster management strategies. Several studies confirm that community resilience is a significant factor in disaster management. Saudi Arabia is (a) increasingly exposed to disasters, as reflected in recent events, and (b) lacks a credible disaster management strategy. This paper aims to develop a framework of community resilience to disaster in Saudi Arabia. A three-round Delphi study is conducted using a local and an international panel of experts with in-depth knowledge in the wide field of disaster management. General dimensions and criteria for consideration are derived from the academic literature. The latter are used by the expert panel as a starting point to achieve consensus on a framework of community resilience to disasters, focused on six resilience dimensions: social; economic; physical and environmental; governance; health and well-being; and information and communication. A total of 62 criteria are identified. Fifty-seven of these criteria achieved consensus in Round 2. An additional five criteria reached consensus in the third round. The resulting community resilience framework involves seven to fourteen criteria in each of the six identified dimensions.