Transforming Post-disaster Recovery: Participatory Mechanisms for Community Feedback and Responding to Government’s Real-time Data Needs with a Focus on Persons with Disability

Abstract

This article discusses possibilities of transforming the methods of conceiving policy research with a commitment to action, making the process more participatory, accountable and helping the most affected to be part of the decision-making process. It was carried out in the Indian state of Kerala post the devastating 2018 floods caused by unexpected and abnormal precipitation that resulted in severe flooding in 11 out of 14 districts in the state. For the first time, a community feedback mechanism was introduced in the country by the government, using their community structures, resulting in India’s first and largest post-disaster primary database with 19,646 responses. A significant aspect of the study is the inclusion of a large sample (n = 521) of persons with disability. As a methodological innovation, new and dedicated pathways were created for receiving community feedback including grievances from the most marginalised and vulnerable households and individuals. Instituting these within the government itself, to guide the recovery process, was a clear innovation. It suggests that it is possible for a government to listen to the vulnerable within communities and respond while building on their feedback as well as addressing their grievances, which need immediate redressal during disaster recovery.