This paper examines the implementation of post-disaster US federal assistance programmes for residential reconstruction and investigates the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics of places and access to residential assistance following the Northridge earthquake that hit Los Angeles in 1994. The paper also examines the effects of the distribution of assistance on long-term recovery outcomes. Findings suggest that areas with high levels of socially marginalised populations were at a disadvantage in accessing federal residential assistance. Findings also show that the long-term effects of the earthquake differed depending on levels of assistance relative to damage. Areas that received less assistance experienced losses in population and housing units. These findings indicate that post-disaster recovery programmes in the US do not adequately address the wide range of housing needs that emerge in the case of a major disaster in a large metropolitan area. Implications for post-disaster planning as well as for planning under everyday conditions are discussed.
Five years after Katrina's devastation, almost 90 per cent of New Orleans metropolitan population has returned. Recovery patterns, however, remain highly uneven. This paper examines the relationship between pre-existing demographic and housing conditions, damage from Hurricane Katrina, access to federal individual and housing assistance, and repopulation rates in the New Orleans metropolitan area. Findings shed light on the respective roles of pre-existing conditions, damage and assistance in shaping long-term recovery outcomes. In the case of Katrina, areas that have experienced the lowest repopulation rates had high levels of damage and received disproportionately low individual and housing assistance relative to damage. These areas are characterised by higher concentrations of minorities, lowincome households and rental units than areas that experienced higher repopulation rates. Findings also highlight structural causes for the unevenness of recovery outcomes. The paper concludes with suggestions for a more effective and sustainable post-disaster assistance and recovery approach.
This study explored demographic variations among victims injured in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The study analyzed records of 2,148 patients who were hospitalized with earthquake-related injuries in 14 hospitals between May 12 and May 21 of 2008. We tested the effects of gender and age on the incidence of fractures and amputations. Although more women than men were hospitalized as earthquake victims, the results indicated that a higher incidence of pelvic fracture in women was the only statistically significant injury with regard to gender. Age had a more complex effect on the rate and pattern of fractures. Children younger than 15 years old were the most likely to sustain skull fractures and amputations. The elderly were the most likely to be associated with limb fractures. Adult men were the most likely to suffer spine fractures and adult women rib fractures. The paper concludes with an interpretation of the results in the context of China's rural conditions and discusses implications for post-disaster emergency operations and planning.
This paper examines conditions influencing reconstruction and recovery processes following a disaster. The Northridge Earthquake and Hurricane Katrina are illustrative of supra-regional political and economic changes and their effect on local communities during the recovery process. In addition, the paper argues that informal institutions can play an important role in shaping the recovery process and its outcomes.
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