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This chapter analyzes the link between the digital divide, infrastructure regulation, and disaster planning and relief through a case study of the flood in San Jose, California triggered by the Anderson dam’s overtopping in February 2017 and an examination of communication failures during the 2018 wildfire in Paradise, California. This chapter theorizes that regulatory decisions construct social and disaster vulnerability. Rooted in the Whole Community approach to disaster planning and relief espoused by the United Nations and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this chapter calls for leadership to end the digital divide. It highlights the imperative of understanding community information needs and argues for linking strategies to close the digital divide with infrastructure and emergency planning. As the Internet’s integration into society increases, the digital divide diminishes access to societal resources including disaster aid, and exacerbates wildfire, flood, pandemic, and other risks. To mitigate climate change, climate-induced disaster, protect access to social services and the economy, and safeguard democracy, it argues for digital inclusion strategies as a centerpiece of community-centered infrastructure regulation and disaster relief.

This article assesses the development of flood relief and recovery, and their narratives, as political sites for the central and local governments to negotiate each other's standing and role in imperial Japan.

The article examines local flood narratives, most prominently from Okayama, to assess how imperial Japan's central government intruded into the periphery through disaster relief, and how the localities negotiated and challenged Tokyo's political agenda on the ground and through these narratives.

The above sources reveal that the national government attempted to use flood experiences to unite the pluralizing society by three main means: building meteorological stations, relief laws, and through the imperial being. The process was systematized gradually, and local prefectures aided and challenged Tokyo's attempts. The prefectures also used disasters to try to bring unity within their community.

Historical flood narratives are often used to mine data from which future preventative and management measures are constructed. The article suggests the narratives' political nature, and hence the nuances that must be considered in these efforts.

Disaster narratives constitute a crucial and unique element in disaster understanding, recovery and communication. Along with facing various severe disasters, China’s dominant official disaster narratives have played an indispensable role in promoting post-disaster social solidarity. However, the consequences of “weak” official disaster narratives remain unknown.

In 2023, during a riverine flood in northern China’s Z City, diversified grassroots disaster narratives emerged, “filling the void” when the official narratives were comparatively “weak”. This paper uses this riverine flood in Z City as an uncommon case to analyze the official-grassroots disaster narrative interaction. During fieldwork, first-hand and second-hand data from in-depth interviews, on-site visits and public information were collected.

Based on fieldwork, this paper first introduced the “weak” official disaster narratives in Z City. Second, this paper organized and classified these grassroots disaster narratives into three interconnected stages: the flood’s causes, government and social responses, and recovery. In “filling the void,” “sacrifice” and “betrayed” sensemaking are detected and functions of these diversified grassroots disaster narratives become clear.

Official and grassroots disaster narratives are not simply competing, but complementary. As a unique soft lens to interpret disasters, this paper further discussed grassroots disaster narratives’ underlying connotations and potential impacts on social resilience building. Also, this paper provides insights into the disaster narrative dynamics, especially in China’s political and cultural context.

This study aims to analyze the policies and strategies used by governmental organizations to address the impacts of climate change in informal neighborhoods, kampungs, such as Bukit Duri and Melayu in Jakarta, Indonesia, focusing on canal and river flooding mitigation and infrastructure development. The research examines the displacement of residents due to the demolition of informal settlements along riverbanks, the role of different governmental organizations and the implications of these policies on affected communities.

This study uses the theoretical framework of environmental injustice to evaluate the strategies used by the Indonesian Government to address climate change adaptation in Jakarta, with a specific focus on the problem of flooding and its impact on displacement. By analyzing the history and outcomes of flood mitigation policies, this paper assesses the government’s strategies related to infrastructure, evacuation and socialization. In doing so, the study examines the social impact of these policies on affected communities. Furthermore, social listening and media analysis of Twitter data and various news outlets are conducted to gain insights into the living conditions and experiences of displaced residents in two public housing projects.

The study revealed the challenges faced by the government in implementing policies for climate change adaptation and flood mitigation in Jakarta, including a lack of community engagement with residents of the Kampungs in the decision-making process for relocation. Despite government efforts and providing low-cost apartments (rusuwana), the analysis sheds light on the various forms of injustice that result from the government’s approach to climate change adaptation in Jakarta.

This study examines social justice issues in Jakarta’s informal neighborhoods and explores locally driven efforts vs government-mandated policies for managing natural hazards and adapting to climate change.

The ineffectiveness of flood control in climate-impacted majority-world cities like Jakarta highlights the need for policies that integrate local knowledge and embrace water harmony rather than resistance. This study explores flood adaptation in North Jakarta's kampungs (urban informal settlements), aiming to enhance the efficacy of current flood disaster management. The outcomes of the participatory planning mechanism simulation that we propose are expected to provide valuable insights for the urban planning approach in that city.

We employed focus groups and design charrettes with a bottom-up approach to explore how local knowledge can enhance spatial flood management and urban planning policies. In total, 17 diverse participants, covering various ages and professions, engaged in these activities. Our methods aimed to be culturally sensitive and inclusive, embracing indigenous values like musyawarah and gotong royong. The research methodically examined flood implications and adaptations in informal settlements, progressing through preliminary understanding, data triangulation, and a reflective synthesis of the findings.

Amid worsening global changes like sea level rise, community-focussed, collaborative planning can help create tailored flood-resilience solutions. The research reveals that partnerships between communities and organisations promote city-wide, flood-adapted environments, aligning policy with the needs and goals of those most affected by flooding. This collaboration enhances flood disaster management and planning policies.

This research focusses on Jakarta's flood adaptation and urban planning, reflecting on historical situations relevant to urbanising majority-world countries. Whilst specific to Jakarta, it offers perspectives on managing global environmental challenges such as sea level rise. Subsequent research should prudently consider each locale's distinct geographic and social milieu and the trust in planning systems in applying these findings, methodologies and approaches.

This study clarifies the relationship between disaster management, policy and flood adaptation, focussing on local knowledge in North Jakarta, pertinent to urbanising majority-world nations. Jakarta's historical and modern dynamics, including globalisation, reveal specific prospects and obstacles to applying vernacular knowledge to planning and disaster response. It highlights crucial points for policymakers in the majority of the world to address growing flood risks and create strategies that integrate local and traditional wisdom.