Natural disasters are often “transnational” because their effects transcend both local and regional jurisdictions. Disasters are the product of transnationalism, meaning “the existence of multiple and overlapping processes and transactions outside the nation-
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Nevertheless, regionalizing disaster management is difficult because it requires collaborative operation from different agencies outside the affected country to work together within another’s sovereign domains. In many events, bilateral interactions prove more effective and efficient than do multinational or regional operations. On the one hand, multilayered operations may lead to chaotic situations, especially if the affected nation cannot manage the frontlines of the disaster. On the other hand, a single regional team, although united, may also lead to failure if there is a lack of proper interoperability and coherence in their operations. To avoid these issues, it is essential to exchange knowledge, information and resources among nations at the early stages of disaster management, i.e. preparation and mitigation. Scott (1995: 116) suggests that organizations confronting more complex, fragmented environments tend to develop more elaborated internal structures. In the context of disaster management in Southeast Asia, ASEAN members must be closely connected and collaborative in order to enhance regional resilience. The question lies in whether ASEAN’s policies, agencies, and operations are comprehensive and coherent enough to ensure an effective management of natural disaster in Southeast Asia.