Analysis of the 2023 flood scenario for urban disaster management from a strategic management perspective

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Analyzing the flood scenario can help identify opportunities and difficulties for enhancing urban catastrophe management procedures and creating more resilient cities facing environmental threats like climate change. The primary goals of the case study were to summarize the key elements of the flood incidents in India between 2000 and 2016 and discuss the 2023 flood scenario in Chennai. This study also suggested technological interventions to ensure preparedness innovatively and recommended a strategic plan to address the issue that would evolve the involvement of all stakeholders in disaster management. METHODS: A flood disaster analysis was based on meta-analytic and visualization methods. The factors contributing to effective mitigation for such unexpected and unforeseen happenings were considered for elaborate discussion and highlighted in this study. The urban development initiatives and their impact, especially during flood occurrences, were kept for discussion and analysis. The methodology is more qualitative, with references as the basis of analysis and further discussion. The meta-analytic approach ensures to cover all the frames of references that are notable from the perspective of contributing to urban development since urban areas contribute a lot to a nation's economic growth and other developmental aspects.FINDINGS: The meta-analytic review of the case study contributes to the overall 75 percent of the cases by focusing on governance-level initiatives, precautionary measures, and post-situational steps that were taken to mitigate the issue in a congenial manner. This study identified the consequences and factors that contributed to such occurrences, primarily due to certain factors relevant to urbanization and encroachment effects, as well as other contributing factors that were found common in all occurrences. A framework or model used in this study for urban recovery was also formulated by the authors of this study.CONCLUSION: These findings enable those strategic decision-makers to support the facts of such occurrences (especially in suburbs or urban areas) or any other incidents of disaster or crisis with crucial information that would pave the way for effective management of incidences and also help in framing policies with developmental perspectives in place while planning to convert suburbs to urban development shortly. The finding of the study supports the gap in overall studies based on flood occurrences and suitable remedies as well.