William Anderson

On the underserved in natural disaster reduction

The poor and people of color, especially minority women, are underserved when it comes to society's ability to make resources available for mitigating, preparing for, and recovering from hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Members of these groups are generally at greater risk to disasters, and have fewer resources with which to respond to and recover from them. For example, they are more likely to live in the most vulnerable areas of a community, as was the case in San Francisco where most of the housing units declared unsafe following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake were low-cost units.

The underserved are also less likely to have the kind of insurance coverage, savings and employment status that would facilitate recovery from disaster. Additionally, research suggests that their marginality makes it difficult for them to successfully negotiate the disaster relief and recovery system that evolves to assist victims following disasters in the U. S. They also comprise a large percentage of the population in large urban centers, which are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters due to the concentration of people and infrastructure.

A number of actions could help to empower the underserved and link them to the natural disaster reduction subculture. First, efforts could be made to bring the underserved into the research professions relevant to natural disaster reduction, including engineering, the physical sciences and the social sciences. Presently, women and minorities represent a relatively untapped resource in these fields.

Second, more research is needed on the special problems natural hazards and disasters pose for the underserved. Among other things, social scientists should systematically study the barriers to greater involvement of the poor and minorities in natural disaster reduction. For example, it should be determined to what extent barriers are based on factors related to information, income and social stratification. Also, relevant research into the physical sciences and engineering is needed, including studies that can provide the requisite knowledge base for the design and construction of economical, disaster-resistant housing for low income groups.

Third, in addition to the research field, minorities and women need to be recruited in large numbers into those professions, such as engineering, urban planning and emergency management that apply research results to solve natural hazards problems. The importance of increasing the number of practitioners in these fields from underrepresented groups is that they might become champions of hazard reduction actions in the poor and minority segments of the population as well as the larger community.

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