In late November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah struck Sri Lanka, causing the worst flooding in over two decades. As of January 2026, the country is transitioning from emergency relief to a massive reconstruction phase. The World Bank estimates direct physical damage at $4.1 billion (approximately 4% of GDP), though total reconstruction needs are expected to exceed $6 billion.
Cyclone Ditwah highlighted that most of the existing infrastructure stock was designed for a “climate that no longer exists,” necessitating a fundamental shift from simple repair to climate-resilient reconstruction. Based on the impacts of Cyclone Ditwah, there need to be new strategic areas for improving infrastructure to reduce future vulnerabilities. Resilience is not built in the aftermath of a disaster, but in the “quiet months” between them by integrating climate and disaster risk, and their interdependences into every national budget and urban plan.
List of Topic Areas
Within this overall context, this special issue will be dedicated to attract papers on the reconstruction strategies post Ditwah, and to attract papers (but not limited to), on the following areas:
• Climate Resilience and “Build Back Better”
• Integration of disaster risk reduction to post-cyclone reconstruction
• Readiness for recovery
• Cyclone Ditwah as a driver for change
• Need for anticipatory action
• Designing EWS-Responsive Buildings
• Resilient built assets for response
• Infrastructure interdependencies and vulnerabilities for compound hazards
• Sustainable and Adaptive Infrastructure
• Standards & Policy Integration
• Integration of Early Warning Infrastructure into Projects
• Tools and technologies to support disaster resilient reconstruction including Nature-Based Solutions
• Economic & Fiscal Constraints for reconstruction
• Displacement and relocation
• Socio-Cultural and Economic Dynamics
• Reconstruction Quality
• Urban planning, building regulations and the approval process
• Post-disaster Project Management
• Reconstruction projects / prioritisation
• Funding management
• Resilient Contractor Selection Models
• Hazard-Resilient Design
Submissions Information
Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijdrbe
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/ijdrbe#jlp_author_guidelines
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to.”
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.
Key Deadlines
Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 09/02/2026
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 30/06/2026
For more details refer here
