The Role of Community Engagement in Hurricane Preparedness as Perceived by Assisted Living Administrators (original) (raw)
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Disaster planning and risk communication with vulnerable communities: lessons from Hurricane Katrina
American journal of public health, 2007
We studied the experience of Hurricane Katrina evacuees to better understand factors influencing evacuation decisions in impoverished, mainly minority communities that were most severely affected by the disaster. We performed qualitative interviews with 58 randomly selected evacuees living in Houston's major evacuation centers from September 9 to 12, 2005. Transcripts were content analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Participants were mainly African American, had low incomes, and were from New Orleans. Participants' strong ties to extended family, friends, and community groups influenced other factors affecting evacuation, including transportation, access to shelter, and perception of evacuation messages. These social connections cut both ways, which facilitated and hindered evacuation decisions. Effective disaster plans must account for the specific obstacles encountered by vulnerable and minority communities. Removing the more apparent obstacles of shelter and trans...
Innovation in Aging, 2021
Background and Objectives Protecting nursing home and assisted living community residents during disasters continues to be a challenge. The present study explores the experiences of long-term care facilities in Florida that were exposed to Hurricane Irma in 2017. Research Design and Methods We used an abductive approach, combining induction and deduction. Interviews and focus groups beginning in May 2018 were conducted by telephone and in person with 89 administrative staff members representing 100 facilities (30 nursing homes and 70 assisted living communities). Analyses identified themes and subthemes. Findings were further analyzed using the social ecological model to better understand the preparedness and response of nursing homes and assisted living communities to Hurricane Irma. Results 3 main themes were identified including: (1) importance of collaborative relationships in anticipating needs and planning to shelter in place or evacuate; (2) efforts required to maintain safet...
Communication, neighbourhood belonging and household hurricane preparedness
Disasters, 2010
This paper reports on an examination of data on how local residents in Tuscaloosa, a mid-sized city in the state of Alabama, United States, responded to Hurricane Ivan of September 2004. The evaluation revealed that an integrated connection to community-level communication resourcescomprising local media, community organisations and interpersonal networks-has a direct impact on the likelihood of engaging in pre-hurricane preparedness activities and an indirect effect on during-hurricane preparedness activities. Neighbourhood belonging mediated the relation between an integrated connection to community-level communication resources and during-hurricane preparedness activities. Neighbourhood belonging was determined to increase the likelihood of taking preparedness actions during Hurricane Ivan, but not prior to it. In addition, we discovered an interesting pattern for two different types of risk perceptions: social and personal risk perceptions. Social risk perceptions increase the likelihood of taking preventative steps before a hurricane while personal risk perceptions are positively related to engaging in preventative action during a hurricane.
Family & community health
In September 1999, Hurricane Floyd struck eastern North Carolina. Investigators from the health promotion study "Health Works for Women/Health Works in the Community" responded by initiating a focused research study, "Health Works After the Flood." Participatory research involving a multilevel design and qualitative methods was applied to investigate how community preparedness, response, and recovery are affected by social factors such as social capital, social cohesion, and collective efficacy. This article presents evidence from qualitative research conducted for "Health Works After the Flood" and links these findings to observations regarding current conceptualizations of social capital and related concepts.
Capella University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2023. 30314415. , 2023
Abstract Social Media (SM) use as a tool in hurricane disaster response has continued to increase. The use of SM was evident in response to Hurricanes Sandy in 2012 and Irma in 2017, but what was not known was how emergency managers in the southeastern region of the U.S. perceived they could improve SM use during future Hurricane response and recovery from their experience. Hurricane Irma demonstrated how improved SM use could impact the effectiveness of future response and recovery. The literature showed evidence that previous research had studied challenges in response and recovery but not how emergency managers in the southeastern region of the U.S. perceived they could improve emergency response challenges. This research study aimed at filling this gap. The population target was emergency managers, with a sample size of n=10 using purposive sampling. The current study used a generic qualitative research methodology basing analysis on the structural/functionalism theoretical framework. The findings concluded that the E.M.s perceived that pushing out information and continuous interaction with communities through SM before the event could reduce misinformation and have a positive impact on the response and recovery efforts. Keywords: Social media, emergency management, Hurricane Irma 2017, hurricanes, Hurricane Sandy.
Vulnerability Beyond Stereotypes: Context and Agency in Hurricane Risk Communication
Weather, Climate and Society, 2012
Risk communication may accentuate or alleviate the vulnerability of people who have particular difficulties responding to the threat of hazards such as hurricanes. The process of risk communication involves how hazard information is received, understood, and responded to by individuals and groups. Thus, risk communication and vulnerability interact through peoples' knowledge, attitudes, and practices. This study explores risk communication with several groups that may be at particular risk of hurricane impacts: older adults, newer residents, and persons with disabilities. Focus groups conducted in Miami, Florida, examined how members of these groups express their own vulnerability or agency in terms of receiving, interpreting, and responding to hurricane risk information. Findings indicate that people's interactions with risk information are deeply contextual and are facilitated by their individual agency to cope with their vulnerabilities.
2006
Communications infrastructure is critical to managing the complex, dynamic operations that evolve in disaster environments. The impact of Hurricane Katrina destroyed the communications infrastructure within the New Orleans metropolitan region, leaving emergency response personnel and the public with little capacity to exchange information vital for coordinating response actions. The loss of communications proved especially damaging, given the size of the geographic region and the number of people affected. The authors used content analysis of news reports to identify the network of organizations that emerged in response to Hurricane Katrina, and network analysis to examine patterns of interaction among the organizations. The patterns reveal significant asymmetry in information among organizations at different levels of authority and responsibility in the disaster response system, a condition that contributed to the collapse of coordination in disaster operations. Conversely, well-designed communications and information infrastructure can contribute significantly to the resilience of communities exposed to recurring risk.
An Examination of Antecedents to Perceived Community Resilience in Disaster Postcrisis Communication
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 2018
Through an online survey of residents in areas affected by Hurricane Matthew ( n = 596), this study examines antecedents that lead to perceived community resilience (PCR) in a disaster crisis. Crisis efficacy, community identification, positive and negative emotions, and social media engagement are identified as factors contributing to PCR. Social media engagement was defined as coping behaviors such as, information seeking, social support seeking, and giving behaviors on social media during and in the aftermath of crisis. The results of this study provide implications for postcrisis rebuilding processes, and how government and organizational communicators can utilize social media communication to foster PCR.
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
Background: Healthcare and social organizations (HSOs) are first respondents after natural disasters. Hence, their preparedness and resilience are critical components for addressing future disasters. However, little is known about HSOs’ experiences prior to, during, and after hurricanes. Objective: To describe preparedness, response, and recovery experiences from hurricanes Irma/ Maria among HSOs in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Methods: Using a convenience sample, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 52 key-informants. Content analysis for common and recurring themes and patterns was performed by HSO type. Results: Most HSOs (80.8%) had a preparedness plan and 55.8% responded providing emergency supplies. HSOs’ human resources (61.2%) was the main recovery facilitator/ enabler, while 36.5% identified the lack of economic resources and the lack of an integrated emergency plan as the top barriers. The main lesson learned include understanding the need to make impro...
Assessing Disaster Preparedness of Officials and Residents in Two North Carolina Counties
Journal of Geography & Natural Disasters, 2014
Emergency management professionals devote significant expertise and resources to preparing for emergencies through planning and exercises. Despite this preparation by professionals, residents are often unprepared for emergencies and unfamiliar with recommended practices. This is a concern particularly for those who are socially vulnerable, such as the elderly, those without transportation, or those who speak English less than well. To improve understanding of this gap in disaster preparedness, we interviewed emergency managers and others with professional knowledge about emergency preparedness and management at the County level. Findings were validated by surveying households to gather information about services and information received from officials before, during, and after emergencies. Results suggest emergency managers are aware that improved communication with residents could improve preparedness. Residents cite clear priorities in the types of information they want from emergency managers, including where and when to evacuate, how to maintain safe water and sanitation during a disaster, and how to prepare their property for a disaster. Attention should be given to identifying vulnerable groups and providing them with information about preparing disaster plans and related topics.