2.3. Nominal Methods

So, how to facilitate the CBDRM; the entry points, an international NGO when they try to approach the community, it was very difficult to work with the community because both are from different cultures and different power setups and different targets and different expectations.

Facilitating Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) can be challenging. When an international NGO wants to engage with a community, they often face barriers due to cultural differences, varying power dynamics, and differing objectives or expectations. The NGOs must navigate these complexities to establish trust and effectively support the community.

Imagine trying to join a club where everyone speaks a different language and has their own traditions. You'd need someone from the club to introduce you and help you understand the rules, which is similar to how local authorities can help NGOs connect with communities.

So, what I did was, I went to the church and I met the father and the father introduced me that I am doing research on these communities and tsunami effect and then the next day onwards, people started cooperating with me so that cooperation and when the longer run, I developed some trust.

To gain the trust of the local community, the narrator visited a church and spoke to the priest, who then helped introduce the narrator as a person conducting research regarding the community's experiences with a tsunami. This key introduction helped break down the initial distrust, leading to cooperation and a gradual building of trust over time.

This situation is like moving to a new school and feeling like an outsider until a teacher introduces you to your classmates. Once they see you’re with someone they know and trust, they may be more willing to interact with you.

One is the spatial, which is talking about the mapping and modelling, this is very useful in risk and vulnerability assessment, it can be used to identify hazards and dangerous locations, what community already know about this.

Spatial methods involve using mapping and modeling techniques to analyze risks and vulnerabilities within a community. This helps to identify hazardous locations that the community is already aware of, such as areas prone to erosion or vegetation loss, enabling better disaster preparedness.

Think of it like using a treasure map to find out where the risks are in a neighborhood. Just as a treasure map shows where to look carefully, spatial techniques help find areas that need attention for safety.

The second aspect is a nominal which is the collecting, naming or listing, it can collect information about communities and their environment like for instance, we are talking about who are the beneficiaries, who are the what kind of crops they have lost, how much and it can also look at the sequence in the coping strategies used in times of food crisis, health problems in order of frequency or importance and also the associated reasons for it so such consequences of deforestation.

Nominal methods refer to the collection of qualitative data by naming or listing aspects of the community, including identifying beneficiaries, assessing crop losses, and understanding coping strategies during crises. These methods help to build a clear picture of community challenges and the underlying causes of problems, such as deforestation.

It's like keeping a diary where you write down what happened each day. By doing this, you can see patterns and understand how things like losing your favorite toy affected your mood and behavior.

The temporal; so putting all these events in a sequence, whether it is through personal and ecological histories, disaster timelines, disaster visualization, seasonal calendars, community timelines or re-enacting events because these methods will actually reveal the changing nature of vulnerability.

Temporal methods involve arranging events in chronological order to understand how vulnerabilities evolve over time. Techniques such as disaster timelines and community calendars can illustrate the historical context of disasters and their impacts, helping communities learn from the past to improve future preparedness.

This is like watching a movie in order—it helps you understand the storyline better. If you heard about a storm that devastated an area, knowing the events leading up to it helps make sense of what happened.

Ordinal; when we say ordinal, sorting and comparing and ranking because this is where we can identify the most vulnerable individuals and households.

Ordinal methods involve sorting and ranking individuals or households based on their vulnerability. This helps identify the most at-risk people in the community, enabling focused support and resource allocation where it's needed most.

Think of it as ranking students in a class based on their grades. The students who struggle the most can receive the extra help they need, just like vulnerable households in a community should receive additional support.

Numerical, which is talking on most of the economic aspect of it; counting, estimating, comparing and scoring and methods of this kind could be used in assessing disaster losses and quantifying which normally any of the district agency is going to do on this.

Numerical methods focus on quantitative assessment, such as counting and estimating losses after a disaster. These methods provide essential data on economic impacts, such as how many livestock were lost or the extent of property damage, enabling agencies to plan responses effectively.

Imagine a store counting how many items were damaged during a flood. By knowing how many items were lost, they can decide how much inventory to order next and how to recover from the setback.

Relational; this is often related to how we link and how we relate, how different facilitators understand that how different parts of the community relate to one another and how they identify the power structures.

Relational methods analyze how community members relate to each other and the power dynamics between them. Understanding these relationships is crucial for identifying how different factors, such as land tenure or gender roles, influence community resilience and vulnerability.

This is similar to understanding a family tree. Each member's relationships and roles can impact how a family works together during difficult times, just like community dynamics affect responses to disasters.

In fact, one of the important challenges how to integrate the CBRDRM with official development planning; this is a good case which they have given about Bhandari and Malakar work on Nepal.

Integrating Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) with official development planning is crucial for effective disaster readiness. The work in Nepal demonstrated how local development committees prepared disaster risk management plans that aligned with governmental planning, ensuring that community insights informed broader strategies.

Imagine a school working with its students to create a new playground. If the administration listens to what the students want, they not only get a space the kids enjoy but also ensure it meets safety standards, just like integrating local knowledge into disaster plans results in more effective measures.

So, what are the futures of the successful CBDRM, how do we measure it? Of course, the IFRC; the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have actually looked at the 9 key determinants of a successful community-based DRR program.

The effectiveness of CBDRM programs can be analyzed through nine key determinants identified by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, including community motivation, partnerships, participation, and integration with other sectors. These factors contribute to the success and sustainability of community-based risk reduction strategies.

Think of a sports team that trains regularly. The team's success depends on various factors such as the coach's strategy, the players’ motivation, teamwork, and practice frequency. Similarly, these determinants contribute to how well a community manages disaster risks.

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