Assessing distributive inequities in FEMA's Disaster recovery assistance fund allocation

Emrich, Christopher T.; Aksha, Sanam K.; Zhou, Yanliang

doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102855

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The amount, timing, and accessibility of FEMA recovery resources greatly impact LTROs' ability to support community members in securing post-disaster economic stability, housing, and other key social and economic resources that support health and wellbeing. Our results affirm the potential for FEMA policies to exacerbate community inequities, which has been explored in prior research [31,32], correlating the distribution of FEMA individual assistance with increased wealth inequality [33] and documenting the increased post-disaster vulnerability of undocumented immigrants, who are excluded from individual assistance [34]. Prior studies also support our finding that extreme delays in the arrival of FEMA assistance and other recovery resources pose a major barrier for community recovery, both in the context of wildfires [3] as well as other types of major disasters [32].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

After the fire: A qualitative study of the role of long-term recovery organizations in addressing rural communities’ post-wildfire needs

Moloney

Vickery

Hess

et al. 2023

Environ. Res.: Health

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Background: U.S. wildfire activity has increased over the past several decades, disrupting the systems and infrastructure that support community health and resilience. As the cumulative burden of wildfire damage is projected to increase, understanding an effective community recovery process is critically important. Through qualitative interviews with leaders of long-term recovery organizations (LTROs), a key component of wildfire recovery, we explored barriers and facilitators to LTROs’ ability to support post-wildfire needs among rural communities. Method: Between February-May 2022, we conducted surveys and semi-structured interviews with 18 leaders from six LTROs serving rural communities in Washington, Oregon, and California impacted by wildfires between 2015-2020. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Culture of Health Framework informed the semi-structured interview guide and a priori codebook, to examine LTROs’ ability to address post-wildfire community needs from a health equity perspective. Additional codes were added through an inductive approach, and emerging themes were identified.Results: Our findings indicate that LTROs face many barriers in addressing community needs post-wildfire, including the policies governing access to and the slow arrival of recovery resources, the intertwined nature of community economic health and built environment restoration, and the challenge of forming a functional LTRO structure. However, participants also identified facilitators of LTROs’ work, including the ability of LTROs and their government partners to adapt policies and procedures, and close collaboration with other community organizations. Conclusion: Factors both internal and external to the community and LTROs’ organizational characteristics influence their ability to address community needs, essential to health, post-wildfire. This study’s findings suggest the need for policy improvements to promote more equitable recovery resource access, that economic recovery should be a core LTRO function, and that recovery planning should be incorporated into community disaster preparedness activities. Future research should focus on LTROs’ role in other contexts and in response to other disasters.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

After the fire: A qualitative study of the role of long-term recovery organizations in addressing rural communities’ post-wildfire needs

Moloney

Vickery

Hess

et al. 2023

Environ. Res.: Health

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“…Recovery also reflects the idiosyncrasies of the shocked area, with more vulnerable areas needing longer recovery phases [ 41 ]. Social vulnerability is generally defined as a set of pre-existing (individual, household, or community) conditions that hinder disaster preparedness, risk mitigation, and recovery capacity and disproportionately increase disaster damage and loss burden [ 42 ]. Based on the Hazard of Place (HOP) model and framework [ 43 , 44 ], social vulnerability theories postulate that characteristics such as race and ethnicity, gender, income, poverty, age, education, and religion play significant individual or combined roles (poor, minority, and women) in where people live, access to social and economic resources, and, the overall ability to cope and recover from disaster impacts [ 45 ].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do urban socio-economic characteristics shape a city's social recovery? An empirical study of COVID-19 shocks in China

Yang

Yang³

et al. 2023

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

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“…Unfortunately, recent studies highlight that recovery aid may entrench inequities. Government aid, for example, increases wealth inequalities rather than reduces them, especially along the lines of race, education, and homeownership (Elliott & Howell, 2017; Emrich et al, 2022). Similar studies on NGOs are lacking, although some evidence suggests that increased engagement of some types of nonprofits also increases inequality post-disaster, when nonprofits focus mostly on their constituents or members rather than the whole community (Smiley et al, 2018).…”

Section: Disaster Recovery and Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience in Recovery? Understanding the Extent, Structure, and Operations of Nonprofits Meant to Address Disaster Survivors’ Unmet Needs

Meyer

Alexander-Hawk

Purdum

et al. 2022

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly

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Climate change is increasing the likelihood and magnitude of disaster impacts. The nonprofit sector’s ability to address disaster survivors’ needs will become an increasingly important aspect of adapting to a changing climate. Disaster recovery also provides time for nonprofits to affect community resilience to future disasters and climate change. This article analyzes a unique phenomenon of the sector during disaster recovery: Long-term Recovery Groups. These groups are increasingly encouraged by government and national nonprofits, yet little academic research exists on them. We assess the existence and location of groups, their missions and tasks, and their legal structure. We find heterogeneity in structure and location but similarity in stated goals of addressing failures of government and private sector recovery practices. These groups emerge, as expected, in areas with disaster losses and in areas with slightly greater social vulnerability. Most groups, though, miss the opportunity to include climate change as part of their mission.

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Assessing distributive inequities in FEMA's Disaster recovery assistance fund allocation

Cited by 31 publications

References 29 publications

After the fire: A qualitative study of the role of long-term recovery organizations in addressing rural communities’ post-wildfire needs

After the fire: A qualitative study of the role of long-term recovery organizations in addressing rural communities’ post-wildfire needs

How do urban socio-economic characteristics shape a city's social recovery? An empirical study of COVID-19 shocks in China

Resilience in Recovery? Understanding the Extent, Structure, and Operations of Nonprofits Meant to Address Disaster Survivors’ Unmet Needs

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