LIN-Cultural challenges for disaster governance at local level-ID1125-IDRC2014_b

Cultural challenges for disaster
governance at local level: lessons
from Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan
5th International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC 2014
‘Integrative Risk Management - The role of science, technology & practice‘ • 24-28 August 2014 • Davos • Switzerland
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Jen-Jen Lin
Fu Jen University

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Typhoon Morakot 2009
in Taiwan

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Typhoon Morakot 2009
in Taiwan
• Comparison with World Rainfall Record
Duration Taiwan Aurere la Reunion
24 hrs 1,623mm (2009) 1,825mm (1966)
48 hrs 2,361 mm (2009) 2,467mm (1958)
• The mega amount of water flowing down the valley of steep
mountain brings down large aggregates, driftwood, and high
soil density water flow. It destroys almost all roads, bridges,
leaves and leads to slope failure and debris flow of mountain.

2.22% of Taiwan's 23 million people
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Affected areas in typhoon Morakot

• Flooding caused the death of an estimated 699 persons, the temporary
settlement of 4,500 people and relocation of 19,191 persons.
13,911 (72.5%) of the 19,191 relocated people were indigenous people.
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General characters of indigenous people in Taiwan
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• Land related culture
• Shared values Identity
• Land
• Self-sufficiency livelihood Knowledge
• Elders meeting (Village council)
• Age/Hereditary stratification Power

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Network of aid systems

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Permanent housing community

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Cultural Conflicts
• abandon their traditional lifestyles based on minimal needs and self-sufficiency
• disrupted their traditional social structure based on family and clan
relationships
Disruption of social
relation
• the respective village councils haven’t been included in the decision-making
process
• has not made adequate use of the traditional skills and knowledge of the
indigenous people it was meant to help
Passive recipients
of services
• resettled on the plains have found it very difficult to adapt to the modern
job market
• lack cultural resources relating to language, applying for subsidies, and
cooperative professional networks
• Conflicts in old stratification
Reinforcement of
cultural
vulnerability

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Institutional Arrangement
• The post-Morakot reconstruction work has been mainly carried out
by NGOs commissioned by the central government to set up service
centers in the disaster zone.
• The decision-making authority mainly rests with the central
government, and the resettlement policies were jointly formulated
by the central government and nationwide NGOs, neither of which
has much familiarity with aboriginal culture.
• Local government bodies and civic organizations were simply not
included in the process.
• Questions to: communities and local authorities should be
empowered to manage and reduce disaster risk by having access to
the necessary information, resources and authority to implement
actions for disaster risk reduction.

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Institutional Arrangement
• Political performance：Competition between
national government and local government
• Policy decisions are formulated and readily approved
by Taiwan’s parliament in which the ruling party has
holds a majority.
• Cooperation with public sectors and private sectors
through contracting out (accountability)

• Short-term programs
• Actual needs? Time
• Reflection on modernity
• Local knowledge? Knowledge
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Limitations of projects
• Registered NGOs
• Diversity? Eligibility

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Influence of projects

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Second Stage of Networking

The case of networking in a village of tribe Paiwan
(Paiwan hat traditional social hierarchy consisting of a chieftain, the aristocracy, warriors, and commoners)
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The case of networking in a village of tribe Bunun
(Bunun is dominated by clans and had strategic alliances with one another village)
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Discussion
• Capacity building and endogenous networking
Capacity building
Networking
Empowerment
1. Knowledge
based on
modernity
had to be
translated by
local young
generation
1. Traditional
authority (old
stratification) Identity, power
control,
experiment and
sustainable
development
2. Local
knowledge
involved
people deeply
2. Local group
(traditional
networking)

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Discussion
Social vulnerability
– Cultural sensitivity in disaster risk reduction
– Rethinking about exogenous aid system based on
outside knowledge / endogenous networking
based on local knowledge.
– Rethinking about Participation of indigenous
people / Identity - power control – active

Added value for the Post 2015 Framework for
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Disaster Risk Reduction
• How did your work support the implementation of the Hyogo
Framework for Action:
Social vulnerability
– Cultural sensitivity in disaster risk reduction
– Rethinking about exogenous aid system based on
outside knowledge / endogenous networking
based on local knowledge.
– Rethinking about Participation of indigenous
people / Identity - power control – active

LIN-Cultural challenges for disaster governance at local level-ID1125-IDRC2014_b

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