Towards societal engagement: Building human resilience by engaging communication about flood prone areas

Abstract

Societal engagement is defined as the direct and indirect interactions of social organisations and stakeholders-at-large, with government, various institutions and business establishments, with the aim of affecting decision making, or the achievement of a common goal. Economic development projects have brought about innumerable advantages, as well as many unfavourable effects upon vulnerable people, plus harm to natural resources. Human activities have often negatively impacted social and communal harmony, as well as contributed to the loss of human livelihood, the destruction of renewable resources, and have, at times, resulted in the loss of life itself. Engagement is a two-way relationship in which agencies, authorities, and key figures, seek and receive the views of the stakeholders for the betterment of the community. This paper aims to address how this group might assist the society in meeting the challenges of sustainable development, as well as promoting a readiness to face floods in their respective neighbourhoods. It can be concluded that most of the respondents believe that it is necessary for the utility company of Malaysia, "Tenaga Nasional Berhad" (TNB) to continuously improve their assets in order to reduce the risk of a disaster. However, when it comes to respondents' actions when facing a disaster, there seems to be no standardised course of action. This, therefore, identifies a need to further educate communities on the most effective course of action that can be taken when facing a disaster. The data obtained from the study contributes to the potential preparedness and preventive steps of the target community when facing potential hazards and can perhaps contribute to the development of a mitigation plan for further research and study. © 2019 International Press of Boston, Inc.