Evaluation of disaster resilience and diagnosis of obstacles in rural areas of southern Xinjiang, China, based on the PSR model

Purpose This study aims to explore the disaster resilience level (pre-disaster defense pressure, emergency state in disaster, post-disaster recovery response) and the obstacle factors of resilience improvement in rural areas of southern Xinjiang under the influence of meteorological disasters. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional household survey was used. Structured interviews and questionnaires were conducted in representative villages of eight counties and cities in southern Xinjiang. This study used both descriptive statistics and an econometric model. The model was used to calculate the disaster resilience level in the study area. The numerical grade and obstacle degree of resilience were characterized by SPSS software. Findings The model results confirmed the “gradient-like” distribution feature of lower resilience in the east and south and higher resilience in the west and north. Areas of high rural disaster resilience mainly concentrate in Kashgar on the western edge of the Taklimakan Desert and Korla in the north, whereas low-value areas are mainly distributed in Minfeng County–Ruoqiang County in the east of the desert. From each subsystem of the evaluation system, the obstacle degree of the rural disaster resilience level in southern Xinjiang is as follows: pre-disaster defense pressure > emergency state in disaster > post-disaster recovery response. Originality/value This study can calculate the relatively accurate value of rural resilience level by constructing pressure-state-response disaster response model, and then can provide directional and quantitative reference for the subsequent safety construction of different types of villages with resilience status.