ABSTRACT
Community-based disasters are collectively experienced events that overwhelm local capacity, resulting in the destruction of public, private, and environmental assets, human suffering, and disruption of systems. 1 Affected communities typically face a long period of restoration and recovery. It is often necessary for people to find temporary or permanent alternative accommodation, either within the disaster-affected community or in a different location. 2 This paper explores the impact of post-disaster relocation through a case study of bushfires that occurred in February 2009 in Victoria, Australia. It focuses on decision-making in relation to moving out of a disasteraffected community and the impact of that decision on personal wellbeing. Personal wellbeing is conceptualized in this case study as a combination of life satisfaction (current and anticipated), personal resilience, and subjective overall health rating. The psychological sense of community and its relationship to relocation decisions and experiences will also be explored.
