Decolonising approaches to disaster management, social work practice, and policy

We currently live in a world that is being inundated with disasters. Droughts, floods, fires, and viruses are our everyday realities now. Disaster management focuses on managing the impact of disasters and attempting to put some things in place to prevent or contain further disasters. However, we still are frequently caught unprepared despite each of these disasters, regardless of our previous experiences with each type of disaster. We tend to focus on managing disasters after the fact and then trying to minimise further harm rather than addressing the factors that result in the disasters to begin with. Colonisation and ongoing colonial structures play a very real role in creating the environment for disasters to occur. Global warming, soil erosion, damming of rivers and water, as well as overpopulation of cities directly result in the disasters we now face globally. Indigenous people lived sustainably for thousands of years before colonisations. This chapter is written from the perspective of a Wiradyuri yinna (Indigenous woman from Central New South Wales, Australia), who explores how Indigenous knowledges and practices are the answers to disaster prevention and preparedness. The chapter also looks at the role of social workers in ensuring that a decolonising approach is taken by working alongside Indigenous peoples to address the realities of the world we currently live in.