Managing natural disasters, sustaining local development : a problem handled through local community- private organization collaboration? a case study from the Dominican republic

Abstract

The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts a future increase of natural disasters and the work to reduce the impacts of such disasters must be escalated. Therefore it seems very important that organisations located in disaster ridden areas, such as the Caribbean, are involved in helping those who are affected by natural disasters. Usually those most affected are the poor and socially disadvantaged groups, meaning support of these peoples are vital for local development. In this thesis proposal I try to link the themes of disaster management and sustainable development, and look at the possibility for private organisations to collaborate with local communities’ in their effort to reduce the impacts of future disasters. In this effort vulnerability is a key concept which needs to be addressed, as well as the local communities’ openness to external organisations.