Building community resilience: business preparedness lessons in the case of Adapazarı, Turkey

The lack of attention paid to businesses in disaster management systems from the standpoint of state policies hampers efforts to build community resilience. This paper examines, therefore, the extent of business preparedness for disasters. Empirical research was conducted in Adapazarı, Turkey, 13 years after the İzmit earthquake, which struck the northwest of the country on 17 August 1999, claiming the lives of some 17,000 people. For the study, 232 firms were selected to inquire about their preparedness before and after the event. It is hypothesised that business preparedness is influenced by the following set of variables: business size; business sector; business age; financial condition prior to the disaster; occupancy tenure; market range; education level; and previous disaster experience. In line with the findings of the research, a policy framework is constructed to rationalise the allocation of resources for building resilience at the aggregate level by facilitating business preparedness.     

1989～2005年中国启动地震应急预案的研究

制定地震应急预案是地震应急的行动纲领。过去重“救”轻“防”,而且“救”的程序也缺少规范。地震应急预案将“防、抗、救一作了规范．对每个职能部门的应急工作都作了部署。全国地区（市）级颁布地震预案267个,县级颁布地震预案1603个。据不完全统计,1989-2005年,全国共计启动地震应急预案56次。其中,1989～1993年年均启动0．8次,1994-1998年2．2次,1999-2003年4．2次,2004～2005年10次。