The Elbe Flooding Disasters in 2002, 2006, 2013 and the current Corona-Pandemic in regard to their severe impacts on societally disadvantaged people in Dresden city and non-urban neighbourhoods

This case study will look into the Elbe Flooding Disasters in 2002, 2006 and 2013 as well as the current Corona-pandemic and the  neglect for social capital and context dependent social marginalization caused by authorities’ lack of societal knowledge, that becomes apparent when faced with ongoing disasters.

The Elbe Flooding Disasters in 2002, 2006, 2013 and the current Corona-Pandemic in regard to their severe impacts on societally disadvantaged people in Dresden city and non-urban neighbourhoods

Type of disaster addressed: Damage of critical lifelines and severe impacts on relatively disadvantaged people due to being left behind in provision of relief and rescue services. 
Type of danger addressed: Shortages of health care services, evacuation and information provision to highly marginalized and socially impaired social groups. High likelihood of life loss and health dangers for highly disadvantaged people.

Other groups / communities: All affected population, volunteers helping the most-needy groups under severe life-threatening emergencies, marginalized societal groups.

Tools or technologies used: Usage of social media information process, organizational learning.
Method of analysis: Personal interviews, online survey, scrutiny of public reports, press articles and the existing research studies, workshops
Real-life condition: By focusing exactly on discovering population elements and individuals who have been ignored by prior disaster vulnerability and resilience research, this case will reveal the striking neglect for social capital and social marginalization caused by authorities’ lack of societal knowledge.

Innovation outcomes: Improved normative and practical operations and planning procedures, practical value added by exposing the need for protection of those left behind by the authorities. Re-assessment of existing state of knowledge on effective rescue provision. Exposing the complex interdependencies on which social capital depends. Improving the knowledge regarding factors contributing to disaster context dependent vulnerability and resilience.