Disaster Risk Governance and Community Resilience in Flood-Prone Areas of Anambra State

This study examines disaster risk governance mechanisms and their contributions to community resilience in flood-prone areas of Anambra State, located in Nigeria's South East geopolitical zone. The annual flooding of communities along the Niger-Anambra flood plains has caused significant loss of life, property, and agricultural production, with administrative responses often falling short of protective and rehabilitative standards. A professional survey design is employed, collecting data from 165 disaster management officials, community leaders, non-governmental organisation representatives, and affected residents in four riverine local government areas. Regression and qualitative thematic analysis are used to assess governance-resilience relationships. The Disaster Risk Governance Framework, aligned with the Sendai Framework 2015-2030, provides the theoretical foundation, emphasising risk prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery as integrated governance responsibilities. Findings reveal that communities with functional community-based disaster risk management committees, supported by the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (ANSEMA), exhibit significantly higher resilience scores measured by recovery speed, livelihood restoration, and social cohesion. However, inadequate funding of ANSEMA, poor early warning dissemination through local government structures, and the absence of community flood risk maps are systemic governance gaps. Recommendations include annual community risk mapping updates, pre-positioned strategic relief materials, and the formalisation of community disaster risk management committees with statutory roles. Keywords: disaster risk governance, community resilience, flooding, Anambra State, Sendai Framework.