1. Community-
Wide Disaster
Recovery:
The Choices
that Divide Us
ELIZABETH ORRICK
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE GROUP
MATERIALS AND STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS DIVISION
ENGINEERING LABORATORY

2. Background
• WHAT IS A DISASTER?
“A serious disruption of the functioning of a
community or a society causing widespread human,
material, economic or environmental losses which
exceed the ability of the affected community or
society to cope using its own resources” (National
Science and Technology Council 2005)
•FORMS OF MOBILITY: Migration, Relocation,
Resettlement, Evacuation, and Displacement.

3. KEY TERM: SOCIAL VULNERABILITY
•Who does this apply too?
“Social vulnerability refers to the limitations in one’s
physical assets (buildings), psychological
(knowledge), social (community integration),
economic, and political (public policy influence)
resources” (Lindell 2011)
•Why are they important?

4. Purpose of this Project?
To make communities more resilient so
populations are not displaced.

5. Research Questions
What are the factors that impact household
recovery decision making? In particular what
factors impact people’s decisions to stay, leave, and
return?

6. Methodology
1. Collected Sources
1. COVERING: Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology,
Geography, Economics, Emergency Management, Social
Work, Urban Studies, Global Studies, etc.
2. SPECIFICS:
Hurricanes: Rita, Katrina, Sandy, Ike, Andrew, etc.
Earthquakes: Christchurch, Guatemala, etc.
Floods: North Carolina, Buffalo Creek, etc.
Tsunami: Sumatra, Chennai
3. Created Annotated Bibliography of 65 Articles:

7. Methodology Continued
3. Identified Key Factors for Decisions
and Individual/Family Characteristics
4. Created Multiple Timeline Drafts
5. Developed Factor Tree of Household
Recovery Decisions (Indirect and Direct)

8. Social
Systems
DECISIONS

9. Social
Systems
DECISIONS
DECISIONS
INDIRECTLY
IMPACTED
DIRECTLY
IMPACTED

10. Indirectly Impacted

11. INDIRECT (NO/LIMITED
PHYSICAL DAMAGE ON
HOUSEHOLD)
Evicted
Choice to
relocate?
Leave? #2
Stay
No
Yes
NoYes
Short
Term
Long
Term
Higher
SES
Job Opportunity
Psychological
Relief
Renter
(Socially
Vulnerable)
No Place
Attachment
Social Systems
Not Functioning
Higher SES,
Young, Single
Evacuate? #1
IMPACT OF DISASTERNo
FACTOR
DECISION
Black arrow=
Decision Path
INDIV
Factor
Blue arrow=
Potential direct
impact

12. Directly Impacted

13. Don’t
Return
Choice
to Relocate/
Evacuate Post -
Disaster?
Evicted/
Forced
Place
Attachment 1
Housing3
Process Issue*
Lack of
Resources
Social
Systems not
Funct. 8
Return Rooted
STAY
Insurance↑ 10
Buyout** 5
Policy 5
Socially
Vulnerable
10
Immobile
STAY
Lack of location
resources 1
Job/Housing
Opportunities14
White1, High SES 1,
Educated 1, Young,
Unmarried 2
Elderly 1,
limited
education
1
IMPACT OF DISASTER
Government
Policy 1
DIRECT (PHYSICAL
DAMAGE ON
HOUSEHOLD)
Leave Post-
Disaster? #2
Evacuate? #1
No
Social
Capital 1
Developing
Country 1
Yes
Yes
No
No
Non-liquid
Assets 4
Elderly 2,
High SES 4,
Educated 1
Social
Capital 10
Little
Damage 4
Heavy Damage 7
Renter
2

14. Don’t
Return
Choice
to Relocate/
Evacuate Post -
Disaster?
Evicted/
Forced
Place
Attachment
Housing
Process Issue*
Lack of
Resources
Social
Systems not
Funct.
Return
Rooted
STAY
insurance↑
Buyout**
Policy
Socially
Vulnerable
Immobile
STAY
Lack of location
resources
Job
Opportunities
Elderly,
limited
educatio
n
IMPACT OF DISASTER
Government
Policy
Leave Post-
Disaster? #2
Evacuate? #1
No
Social
Capital
Developing
Country
Yes
Yes
No
No
Heavy Damage
Non-liquid
Assets
Elderly,
High SES,
Educated
Social
Capital
Little
Damage
White, High SES,
Educated , Young,
Unmarried
Renter
DIRECT (PHYSICAL
DAMAGE ON
HOUSEHOLD)

15. Don’t
Return
Choice
to Relocate/
Evacuate Post -
Disaster?
Evicted/
Forced
Place
Attachment
Housing
Process Issue*
Lack of
Resources
Social
Systems not
Funct.
Return
Rooted
STAY
insurance↑
Buyout**
Policy
Socially
Vulnerable
Immobile
STAY
Lack of location
resources
Job
Opportunities
Elderly,
limited
educatio
n
IMPACT OF DISASTER
Government
Policy
Leave Post-
Disaster? #2
Evacuate? #1
No
Social
Capital
Developing
Country
Yes
Yes
No
No
Heavy Damage
Non-liquid
Assets
Elderly,
High SES,
Educated
Social
Capital
Little
Damage
White, High SES,
Educated , Young,
Unmarried
Renter
DIRECT (PHYSICAL
DAMAGE ON
HOUSEHOLD)

16. Housing Process Issues *
•Emergency Shelter- unplanned and spontaneous
•Temporary Shelter- food preparation and sleeping facilities, sought out
from friends &/or relatives or in mass communal facilities
• Temporary Housing- victims are able to reestablish household routines in
non-preferred locations or structures
•Permanent Housing- Household routines in preferred housing
(Quarantelli 1982)
Emergency
Shelter
Temporary
Shelter
Temporary
Housing
Permanent
Housing

17. Buy-Out**
•What is it?
•Factors Include:
Trust in Administration
Helpfulness of Officers
Socio-economic Status
Strong Sense of Community/ Social Capital
Frequency of Disaster
Risk Perception

18. Socially Vulnerable Populations
•Who are they?
“Social vulnerability refers to the limitations in one’s
physical assets (buildings), psychological
(knowledge), social (community integration),
economic, and political (public policy influence)
resources” (Lindell 2011)
•Why are they important?

19. Don’t
Return
Choice
to Relocate/
Evacuate Post -
Disaster?
Evicted/
Forced
Place
Attachment
Housing
Process Issue*
Lack of
Resources
Social
Systems not
Funct.
Return
Rooted
STAY
insurance↑
Buyout**
Policy
Immobile
STAY
Lack of location
resources
Job
Opportunities
Elderly,
limited
education
IMPACT OF DISASTER
Government
Policy
Leave Post-
Disaster? #2
Evacuate? #1
No
Social
Capital
Developing
Country
Yes
Yes
No
Heavy Damage
Non-liquid
Assets
Elderly,
High SES,
Educated
Social
Capital
Little
Damage
White, High SES,
Educated , Young,
Unmarried
Renter
DIRECT (PHYSICAL
DAMAGE ON
HOUSEHOLD)
No
Socially
Vulnerable

20. Summary of Findings
Socially Vulnerable Disproportionately Experience
the Negative Effects of Disasters
Indirect Impacts:
• Temporary Leave: Avoiding Stress -> High SES
• Permanent Leave: PUSH and PULL factors-> Young, Single, Mid-High SES
Direct Impacts
• Return: Home Ownership, Social Capital-> Elderly, Mid-High SES,
Educated
• Permanent Leave:
• PULL Opportunity ->Mid-High SES
• PUSH Lack of Opportunity at Home, Housing Reconstruction Delays,
Lack of Resources (Heavy Expenses from Insurance, Policy Changes)->
Socially Vulnerable

21. Challenges/ Limitations
•Time Constraint: Where do you say stop?
•Limited Studies on Decision Making
•Studies do not Outline the Entire Process
•Different Definitions of Topics/ Lack of
Definition
•Preliminary Process

22. Next Steps?
•How are the decision processes effected by…
• Damage Impacts (Levels of damage)?
• Climate Change Effects? Epidemics?
• Differences in Decisions Based on Disaster Type?
• Different Countries?
• Rural/Urban/Suburban locations?
• Length of Recovery Time?
•More information about why people don’t evacuate and
stay in damaged locations.

23. References
Image on 1st slide was found at http://www.history.com/topics/hurricane-katrina/speeches/hurricane-
katrina-destruction
Image on 2nd slide was found at:
http://www.adoptapet.com/blog/uploads/2012/06/1100941_weather_warning_sign_4-4.02.16-PM.jpg
Image on 3rd slide: https://jimmywarren.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/strong-brand-barbell1.jpg
Image on 5th & 5th slide was found at:
https://santhoshpinintiblog1.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/agilepicture.gif
Image on 9th slide was found at:
https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/hg74i/house_protected_by_the_flood_not_photoshopped/
Image on 14th slide was found at:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8533921/Latest-pictures-show-the-scale-of-
the-tornado-damage-in-Joplin-Missouri.html?image=1
Image on 20th slide was found at: http://www.york.cuny.edu/news/orsr-survey-findings-report/image_mini
Image on 26th slide was found at: http://www.amvsmlm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/challenges.jpg
Image on 27th slide was found at:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KVlDSx36Blk/TKk9BGwJd0I/AAAAAAAACxI/G745c3BB4cc/s1600/stepstosuccess
1.jpg
Journal Articles, Research Reports, and Books are found in the Annotated Bibliography.