ABSTRACT
In Ukraine, there were severe flash floods that occurred in the Carpathian region in recent decades – in 1998, 2001, 2008, and 2020. Various natural and anthropogenic determinants of the floods are discussed in literature and public discourse, including topography, deforesting of the area due to the commercial activities, melioration and construction on the natural river floodplains, absence of strategic planning, and climate change. So, these floods could be regarded as interconnection between natural and man-made disasters. In this chapter, through the social work approach, our discussions center on the actions to combat the flood consequences and communities’ responses to the floods. We review and discuss the community cases, mostly 2020 floods, and the roles of volunteers and paraprofessionals, and religious organizations in responding to environmental disasters. A focus is then laid on the social consequences of environmental crises and lack of professional social workers’ involvement. We compare these activities within Ukrainian communities with the international models of green social work and experiences in other countries on the community level. Based on such comparison this chapter reveals the prospective changes in Ukrainian social work practice and education to enhance potentials of social workers in disaster relief. We also argue the conceptual challenges for introduction of socio-ecological models of social work. We discuss the lessons from the local context and feasibility of employing the international complex multi-level approaches to socio-ecological development within a country with the low economic growth and immature professional social work. The chapter broadens the framework for social work interventions of preventive measures and emergency management in the disastrous areas with respect to ecological justice.
