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Volunteerism and Disaster Resilience in Thailand: Institutional Design for Reducing Migrant Workers’ Vulnerability to Floods in Thailand

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Making Disaster Safer

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Abstract

The growing role of volunteers in disasters has increased the recognition of volunteer efforts in disaster management. The role of volunteers varies between genders and the disaster management cycle. However, their involvement tends to be unplanned and short-term due to a lack of adequate institutional design of a formal disaster management process. This chapter challenges the assertion that volunteerism can only occur on a short-term basis and through an informal disaster management structure. To promote disaster resilience as a long-term outcome, a long-term evolving process through inclusive institutional design is needed to strengthen the positive cooperation of all stakeholders, including volunteers, particularly when formulating and implementing community disaster resilience. This chapter aims to raise awareness of the importance of people-centered and gender-inclusive approaches through volunteerism and disaster resilience by investigating the vulnerability of migrant workers during the 2011 flood in Thailand as a case study. The chapter concludes that volunteer engagement varies by gender role and can reduce vulnerability to disasters and improve resilience in the long term. However, without the proper channels for volunteers to collaborate with other formal actors, the good intentions of individual volunteers can cause problems and hinder long-term disaster resilience outcomes.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The 1985 Mexico City Earthquake, also known as “Michoacan Earthquake of 1985,” was one of the world’s deadliest earthquakes, in which more than 9,500 people were killed by the 8.1 magnitude quake. The disaster occurred on September 19, 1985, in Mexico City, one of the world’s most populous metropolitan areas.

  2. 2.

    Hurricane Katrina was the largest, most costly, and fourth strongest hurricane in US history, surpassing Florida Keys Labor Day Hurricane in 1935, Hurricane Camille in 1969, and Hurricane Michael in 2018. This tropical cyclone hit the southeastern coast of the United States on August 29, 2005 and caused more than 1,800 deaths.

  3. 3.

    The 2003 Bam earthquake occurred on December 26, 2003, in Kerman province, Iran. The 6.6 Richter Scale earthquake caused more than 26,000 deaths, and almost 75,000 people became homeless.

  4. 4.

    The earthquake in Turkey in 1999, also called “Izmit Earthquake,” occurred on August 17, 1999. This devastating earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4, damaged the industrialized and urban areas of Istanbul, Sakarya, Golcuk, Darica, and Derince. It is considered as one of the most damaging earthquakes in Turkey, in which there were around 17,000 deaths, and more than 250,000 people became homeless.

  5. 5.

    The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 caused tremendous damage to several countries in South and Southeast Asia and elsewhere, including Somalia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Thailand. The tsunami hit the coasts on December 26, 2004, starting from an undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1. It killed more than 225,000 people.

  6. 6.

    The Nepal Earthquake occurred on April 25, 2015, with a magnitude of 7.8, in Central Nepal. Nearly 9,000 people were killed, and more than 600,000 families lost their homes.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Innovation, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand

    Thanikun Chantra

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  1. Thanikun Chantra
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Correspondence to Thanikun Chantra .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan

    Ronni Alexander

  2. Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Siriporn Wajjwalku

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Chantra, T. (2023). Volunteerism and Disaster Resilience in Thailand: Institutional Design for Reducing Migrant Workers’ Vulnerability to Floods in Thailand. In: Alexander, R., Wajjwalku, S. (eds) Making Disaster Safer. Kobe University Monograph Series in Social Science Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4546-7_10

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