Residents vulnerability analysis and explanation of development-induced disasters in a Sub-Saharan African city

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze indicators for measuring residents’ level of social and physical vulnerability to human-induced disasters in disaster-prone communities of Lagos, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted the quantitative research method. Questionnaires were administered to household heads in three disaster-prone communities of Lagos, Nigeria. Using systematic random sampling technique, household heads’ opinions were sampled in 10 per cent of the buildings. This effort culminated in the sampling of 288 household heads in the three communities. Findings The study identified flood, fire outbreak and environmental pollution as the most prevalence disasters in the communities. State of infrastructure, housing conditions and residents’ socioeconomic characteristics were identified as the major factors influencing residents’ level of vulnerability to disasters in the communities. Research limitations/implications The study could be strengthened by looking at other disaster-prone communities in Nigeria with different cultural and political settings. Hence, the view presented in this paper may not be considered generalizable to other parts of the country with different cultural settings. Originality/value To build resilient communities in cities of developing countries, the paper of this nature is important to determine factors influencing residents’ level of vulnerability to disasters. This will aid in strengthening community-disaster preparedness in these countries.