Knowing Your Own Community: Community Case Studies

1. Knowing Your Own Community: Community Case Studies Session 22

2. Session Objectives • Relate information about the economic and social structure of a community to its disaster resistance and social vulnerability • Identify factors likely to be associated with vulnerable communities • Use case studies from past major disasters to illustrate the relationship between a community’s social and economic characteristics and its ability to respond and recover • Speculate as to how prior knowledge about each community’s social vulnerabilities could have improved response and/or mitigation

3. What is a disaster-resistant community? • Solid and diverse economic base • Relative economic and social equity • Proactive initiatives to help the most vulnerable • Strong community institutions • Good family support systems • Good coordination among groups • Effective leadership • Effective government across jurisdictions • Community awareness about hazards and mitigation • Good land use planning

4. How can you measure? • Economic base? • Relative social and economic equity? • Initiatives to help the most vulnerable? • Strong community institutions? • Effective leadership? • Effective government? • Community awareness about hazards? • Good land use planning?

5. Reliance on a single industry Poor economic (tax) base Absence of strong institutions and traditions Poor cooperation and coordination across institutions Ineffective government and leadership Poor land use management Lack of power within larger political structures Lack of citizen education and experience about hazards Segregation and discrimination Inadequate social services Transient or unstable population Concentrations of vulnerable groups

6. Some High Risk Households • Poor • Minorities • Female-headed • Low education levels • Elders/Disabled • Single-parent • Renters/Transients • Others?

7. Possible Case Studies: • 1972 Buffalo Creek, WV flood • 1985 Mexico City earthquake • 1988 Hurricane Gilbert in Jamaica • 1992 Hurricane Andrew • 1994 Northridge earthquake • 1997 Grand Forks, ND flood • 1999 Hurricane Floyd in NC • Others?

8. Some questions to address about pre-disaster community • Important economic enterprises • Hazard risks • Land use patterns • Place in larger political structure? • Community organizations/leadership? • Mitigation/preparation status

9. Some questions to address about pre-disaster population: • Types of households living there? • Relative social and economic equity? • Housing stock? • Home ownership rates? • Community awareness about hazards? • Initiatives to help the most vulnerable?

10. Some questions to address about the response and recovery: • Governmental response at all levels? • Leadership? • Role of NGOs? FBO’s? • Who had the most difficult time? • Speed of recovery? • Non-recovered areas/sectors? • Mitigation efforts during recovery?

11. Data about population can inform: • Design and implementation of mitigation initiatives • Warning messages • Evacuation planning and compliance expectations • Shelter planning and management • Procurement and distribution of relief supplies and services • Anticipation of special needs (translators, medical assistance, transportation, etc.) • Social services needs, including child care and family counseling services • Recovery planning

12. Data about social structure can inform: • Effective utilization of social organizations and networks • Identification and use of community leaders and key informants • Avoidance of over-reliance on business interests • Establishment of coordinating groups