t We draw on what we know anyway: The meaning and role of local knowledge in natural hazard management

The importance of local knowledge and practices is increasingly acknowledged in relation to natural hazard management, due much to the focus now put on the role of community resilience and adaptive capacities in communities to meet the challenges of climate and environmental changes. Understanding local knowledge requires attention to what such knowledge enables people to do during a crisis, and how they explain and justify the actions they take and the decisions they make. The authors draw on qualitative empirical materials from a wildfire in the coastal municipality of Flatanger, central Norway, in January 2014, in order to investigate the nature of local knowledge in more detail. Within 12 h, a fire spread across an area of 15 km(2), and 63 buildings burnt down. Despite substantial material losses, the handling of the fire has been considered quite successful. The success has on the whole been ascribed the value and impact of local knowledge, especially in the early phase of the fire. By way of three narratives, the authors demonstrate how local knowledge enabled the handling of an extensive and complex fire. Against this background, they discuss the complex nature of local knowledge, and what such knowledge might allow for more generally within natural hazard management. A key lesson from Flatanger is the importance of having bridging institutional arrangements that provide an interface between local people and professionals, ensuring that local knowledge is voiced in an emergency situation.