Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

that high media coverage has strengthened the accountability of the relief efforts. Different
aspects of the flood crisis are extensively broadcasted through public and social media
channels. Because of this coverage, concerned agencies, both formal and informal, tend
to feel that they are being closely observed. In addition, communities feel that they can use
the media to report particular incidents with relief or voice their opinions and frustrations
regarding the support provided.
Table 83: Summary of
impacts observed (rural
and urban areas)
Rural
Urban
Socio-economic impacts
Livelihoods
Coping strategies and
livelihood adaptations
Gender and Intergenerational
relations
Social Cohesion
Types of assistance
provided
Political Economy of Aid
Distribution
• Loss of crops (tree crops, rice)
• Loss of stock and equipment for small businesses
• No reports of land being made unproductive. and home based enterprises
• Heavy losses for fish farmers (produce and • Reduction of informal work opportunities
equipment) with no compensation expected for • Low income civil servant lost complementary
illegal operations.
sources of income but salaries continued to be
• Reduction of informal work opportunities for paid on time
agricultural laborers.
• No reports of negative coping strategies in rural and urban areas (including reduction in food
consumption or child labor).
• Additional financial support from family was not observed with alternative sources of livelihood being
equally difficult to find in rural and urban areas.
• Issues reported with elite capture of existing financing schemes at community level.
• Concerns over defaults on loans contracted for • High levels of debt with multiples loans (partly
agricultural inputs.
used for basic consumption needs)
• Limited availability of credit to re-start economic • Limited access to formal credit sources for the
activities.
urban poor. Interest rates of 20%/daily currently
• Concerns raised about the conditions to access accumulating with most income earned going to
formal agricultural (attached requirements of debt service
purchasing inputs from specific suppliers).
• Use of informal lenders (usually small business
owners) with payments due after the next harvest
and interest collected through the purchase of
agricultural inputs.
Social Relations and Cohesion
• No differences observed between rural and urban sites in terms of gender with no significant changes
in terms of gender relations observed. In terms of the disaster response: (i) limited female leadership in
the overall coordination of relief operations, (ii) no consultations on gender-specific needs to inform
relief efforts; and (iii) limited collection of sex-disaggregated data.
• Youth signaled their willingness to contribute to reconstruction activities and to increase household
income in both rural and urban areas.
• Better social cohesion observed in rural areas • More fragile social fabric.
• Strong role played by local leaders in relief effort • Limited number of community associations and
with participation of village groups.
less frequent interactions with local leaders.
Relief Assistance and Governance
• No differences noted in terms of the types of assistance provided across rural and urban areas for: (i)
food and non-food items: (ii) cash assistance.
Instances of political instrumentalization of relief were observed in rural and urban areas.
Mistrust regarding Government implementation of future recovery program.
Better cohesion seems to have led to more
Distribution of relief more likely to follow political
equitable distribution (less mistrust regarding aid networks (Community Heads and Mayors).
distribution process noted in rural areas of Nakhon
Sawan).
230 THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING