Abstract

The case ‘Kerala Floods of 2018: Resilience in the Face of a Disaster’ describes resilience exhibited by the community during 2018 Kerala floods which killed scores of people and forced thousands into relief camps. The case starts out with a background note on Kerala, a coastal state in the south west of India. The state led in the service sector, tourism sector, and agriculture sector in India. It then provides details about 2018 Kerala floods. The floods had detrimental effects on key areas of its economy including agriculture and tourism. It then describes the rescue and relief efforts and the resilience exhibited by different sections in the state in overcoming the disaster. The case then follows preparedness lessons learned from 2018 Kerala floods. It ends with an insight into the challenges faced by Kerala in restoring and rebuilding the state and its economy after the 2018 floods.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand and critically assess the nature of disaster situations and their impact.
• Identify strategies to manage a disaster situation.
• Create and integrate a disaster relief program.
• Prepare a plan to ensure community preparedness.
• Analyze the effectiveness of mitigation after the disaster.

Keywords

Kerala floods; India; Natural disasters; Disaster management; Infrastructure damage; Rescue & Relief; Restoration; Rehabilitation; Crisis management; Disaster preparedness; Community resilience; Leadership & Accountability; Project Management