THE HUMAN DIMENSION OF DISASTERS:

I

MPROVING SOCIETAL RESILIENCE THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH Kathleen Tierney Department of Sociology Natural Hazards Center University of Colorado at Boulder

SOCIOLOGY AND DISASTERS: KEY AREAS OF FOCUS Social Factors and Disaster Vulnerability Disaster-Related Collective Behavior Social Networks and Resilience Risk Communication and Disaster Warnings

SOCIAL FACTORS AND DISASTER VULNERABILITY Who Prepares?

Who Suffers Disproportionate Losses?

Who is More Able to Recover?

VULNERABILITY RELATED TO… Income and Educational Levels Minority Group Status, Language Barriers, Citizenship Status “Social Capital” and Access to Resources

DISASTER-RELATED COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR Spontaneous Volunteers, Formation of Emergent Groups Massive Altruism, Donations

DISASTER-RELATED COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR Adaptive, Pro-Social Responses — Not Maladaptive, Panicky Behavior

COLLECTIVE IMPROVISATION: RESTORING THE NEW YORK CITY EOC AFTER SEPT. 11

SOCIAL NETWORKS AND DISASTER RESILIENCE Emergent Multi-organizational Networks and Disaster Response Networks versus Hierarchies

Communicating Risk and Warning the Public Social Factors in Risk Communication and Warning Processes Warnings and Warning System Design: How to Encourage Self-Protective Behavior

Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center University of Colorado 482 UCB Boulder, CO 80309-0482 Phone: (303) 492-6818 Web: www.colorado.edu/hazards

Reactions to Disaster: 50 Years of Social Science Lee Clarke

Department of Sociology Rutgers University leeclarke.com

Three Main Points

Disasters, warnings, & bad news do not induce panic There’s a crucial difference between “official” responders and “first” responders

Trust

is the key to effective risk communication

The

image of panic

The reality of non-panic

Non-panic finding is robust

•Research from US Strategic Bombing Survey •Plane crashes •Natural disasters •Biologically threatening events 1793 yellow fever in Philadelphia 1918 Spanish flu 1984 Rajneesh cult attack 1932-1945 Japanese attacks on China

Who are “first responders”?

Construction workers next to Cypress Viaduct, Loma Prieta earthquake

Who are “first responders”?

The stranger next to you in a restaurant.

The coworker in the next cubicle.

Neighbors, friends, passersby.

Teachers: 20% of American population is in K 12 for ½ the year.

Bad risk communication Milwaukee smallpox riots, 1894 From: J. W. Leavitt, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science, 2003, 1(3).

Good risk communication NYC smallpox vaccinations, 1947 From: J. W. Leavitt, Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science, 2003, 1(3).

Take aways

Give more & detailed information, even if it is frightening Avoid slogans and condescension People die the same way they live: in families, faith based organizations, networks, etc.

Push disaster resources to local level

People

are also “critical infrastructure” People don’t typically overreact to bad news— unless they perceive the messenger is untrustworthy. Leaders must earn the trust.

Learning from Heat Waves: How a

Social Autopsy

can Help to Prevent Future Disasters

Eric Klinenberg New York University [email protected]

Age of Spectacular Disasters

World Trade Center Space shuttles (Columbia, Challenger) Hurricanes (Hugo) These catastrophes capture our attention. But they are not the most deadly.

Much of US disaster policy is based on insuring property or preventing property damage. How can we use disaster policy to prevent deaths?

Heat Waves

In the United States, heat waves kill more people than all of the so called “natural disasters”

combined

. In Chicago, more than 700 people died during one week of 1995.

This summer, Europe suffered around 20,000 deaths during a long heat wave. What can we learn from these events?

Disasters help to reveal conditions that are always present but difficult to perceive By studying disasters sociologically, we can better understand the source of our vulnerability.

“

The Social Autopsy

” – Opens up the city and examines the social and political organs that break down in a crisis. We explain causes of death in order to protect life.

Emerging Conditions Revealed in Recent Heat Waves Rise of population that is living and dying alone – Social deprivation as an everyday condition – Certain neighborhood conditions foster isolation and insecurity What can governments do to assist vulnerable people who are living alone?

– Compile official lists to identify the isolated – Offer special outreach and assistance in crises – Connect with service providers

Emerging Conditions Revealed in Recent Heat Waves Problems with urban infrastructure and energy – Power outages are common during heat waves – More efficient air conditioners? More reliable energy sources?

Everyday energy crisis:

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

funds are insufficient to meet demand in cities

Emerging Conditions Revealed in Recent Heat Waves – Problems with policy responses:

Role of paramedics inside fire department. Do they have authority to call in back-up?

–

Links between emergency rooms and health department. Who is monitoring?

– –

How should community police officers help?

Coordinating functions of mayor’s offices –

danger that public relations response can get in the way of disaster response

Preventing Heat Deaths

Work with meteorologists to detect dangerous weather and with media to issue public warnings Reach out to isolated people and vulnerable areas Coordinate muliti-agency disaster response Monitor hospitals and cooperate with medical examiner After crisis, openly examine what went wrong. Share what we learn as widely as possible.

Eric Klinenberg

Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago

Department of Sociology New York University [email protected]