ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses people’s abilities – that is, the set of knowledge, skills, and resources built upon to tackle the disaster process at various stages. We discuss what influences and limits abilities from the point of view of the use and abuse of power in its socio-cultural, institutional, political, economic, and coercive forms. We argue that people’s ability to deal with hazards and disasters mirrors a broader debate in the social sciences about structure and agency. Arguing for human agency, we present mounting evidence that people are not “helpless victims” of extraordinary natural hazards. Rather, the actions and strategies people deploy are grounded in the strength and diversity of everyday livelihoods. We ultimately suggest that these strategies reflect resistance to standardized and normalizing approaches to reducing disaster risk.
