Vulnerability and Recovery from the Tsunami: Building Resilient Coastal Communities

The report identifies that a significant majority of vulnerabilities in post-tsunami Sri Lanka and Indonesia emerged during the recovery phase, often driven by aid delivery. Through a meta-analysis of 382 documents, the authors find that displaced people, women, and children are among the most vulnerable groups. The study argues that a lack of long-term planning, undifferentiated aid, and a competitive rather than cooperative aid environment have deepened dependencies and fueled community conflicts. It concludes that a shift toward social learning and people-centred, vulnerability-based assessments is necessary to build genuine resilience in coastal communities.

• A meta-analysis of 382 documents revealed that only 40 contained substantiated vulnerability insights based on primary data, indicating that vulnerability is rarely systematically investigated in practice.
• The most vulnerable groups identified in the literature are displaced people, women, children, families, farmers, and victims from other emergencies.
• The majority of identified vulnerabilities emerged during the recovery process rather than the initial disaster, with half of these emerging risks linked to aid delivery.
• For displaced people, a lack of long-term planning and undifferentiated aid has led to deepening dependency and health risks, as 'artificial communities' (shelters and camps) often facilitate the spread of communicable diseases.
• Aid delivery in coastal communities has exacerbated pre-existing resource conflicts and community tensions, particularly through the inequitable distribution of boats and fishing gear.
• Women face increased vulnerability to abuse and sexual violence in transitory camps due to the dismantling of protective mechanisms and poor facility design, while a general failure to involve women as key actors persists in recovery planning.
• The recovery environment is characterized by a competitive rather than cooperative nature, where aid is highly politicized and organizations prioritize donor accountability over collective learning and impact.
• Large-scale disaster risk reduction efforts, such as the Indian Ocean Early Warning System, often lack links to community-level experience and fail to address the underlying social causes of vulnerability.

APA

Larsen, R. K., Miller, F., & Thomalla, F. (2009). Vulnerability and Recovery from the Tsunami: Building Resilient Coastal Communities. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/vulnerability-recovery-tsunami-building-resilient-communities-2009.pdf

Chicago

Larsen, Rasmus Klocker, Fiona Miller, and Frank Thomalla. Vulnerability and Recovery from the Tsunami: Building Resilient Coastal Communities. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2009. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/vulnerability-recovery-tsunami-building-resilient-communities-2009.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Larsen |first1=Rasmus Klocker |last2=Miller |first2=Fiona |last3=Thomalla |first3=Frank |title=Vulnerability and Recovery from the Tsunami: Building Resilient Coastal Communities |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/vulnerability-recovery-tsunami-building-resilient-communities-2009.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{larsen2009vulnerability, author = {Larsen, Rasmus Klocker and Miller, Fiona and Thomalla, Frank}, title = {{Vulnerability and Recovery from the Tsunami: Building Resilient Coastal Communities}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/vulnerability-recovery-tsunami-building-resilient-communities-2009.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }