Building Resilient Communities: A Participatory Approach to Flood Disaster Preparedness in Thailand

Context: Flooding poses ongoing risks to Thai communities, particularly in low-lying areas such as Tha Song Khon Subdistrict in Northeastern Thailand. While government agencies provide some support, gaps persist in early response, health infrastructure, and community preparedness. Climate change has exacerbated these vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for scalable, community-based disaster preparedness models. Objectives: To develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a participatory, community-based flood disaster preparedness model as a climate change adaptation strategy. Design: Participatory action research guided by the Plan–Do–Check–Act framework is implemented in 4 phases: assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Setting: Fourteen flood-prone villages in Tha Song Khon Subdistrict, Maha Sarakham Province, Northeastern Thailand. Participants: A total of 298 individuals, including 200 flood-affected residents, 48 village health volunteers, 28 community representatives, 14 local leaders, 6 rescue officers, and 2 public health staff. Intervention: Implementation of a community-based flood preparedness model, including training of Community Trainers and Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERVs), establishment of 2 pilot learning centers, and provision of educational materials and first aid equipment. Main Outcome Measure: Changes in disaster preparedness knowledge and skills, community engagement in flood response, and sustainability of preparedness activities 6 months post-intervention. Results: Participants demonstrated improved emergency response and first aid skills. Six months post-intervention, 2 of 14 villages continued model activities and maintained preparedness resources. However, gaps remained in sanitation awareness and access to emergency medical equipment. Conclusions: Participatory, community-based models can enhance flood preparedness and resilience. The approach shows promise for adaptation and scaling in other climate-vulnerable regions.