The experiences of the landslide survivors from Kodagu District, India: Need for community-engaged village/ward level micro disaster management planning

Introduction: Kodagu district in India had catastrophic landslides in 2018, the rarest occurrence known to people until 2018. It has become an annual affair radiated to other districts of the Western Ghats range. Aim: To explore landslide survivors' experiences, conventional knowledge, and responses during the emergency relief response. Methods: In the emergency relief response phase, a qualitative study was conducted using the purposive sampling technique of landslide survivors in the Kodagu District. Ninety-nine participants were interviewed in 10 Focus Group Discussions (FGD). The FGDs were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Results: In this study, 35 males and 64 females participated. All have endured horrifying experiences, and fear of life and social triggers have played an essential role in self-evacuation. The effective group work among the survivors was perceptible. The issues include improper communication of situational information, disruption of road and cellular connectivity, physical and mental health problems, direct and indirect losses, and other cross-cutting themes. Themes have been recognised as Experiencing the Darkness in Life; Disputed Communication; community-managed Immediate Disaster Response; Health Concerns of the Landslide Survivors; and Cross-Cutting Themes. Conclusion: The study concludes that community-driven community-managed evacuation minimised the causalities. The response from the government in the immediate disaster response phase was satisfactory; fear of life and social trigger played a vital role in the self-evacuation, subsequently reducing the casualties. With community participation, disaster planning at the village/ward level would be the way forward for the well-coordinated emergency relief response.