Disaster Resilience for Vulnerable Populations

In a recent article in Time magazine, Enterprise’s Laurel Blatchford reminds us that some communities are more vulnerable than others.

Blatchford looks at resilience through an equity lens, noting that disasters like Hurricane Matthew disproportionately impact low-income and minority households. This was true of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 and again of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast in 2012.

And the problem is not only that low-income and minority families are more likely to live in low-lying areas vulnerable to flooding. Blatchford points out that after a disaster has occurred, lower-income households have a more difficult time restoring their home and property and bearing the financial burden of recovery.

As climate change – with rising seas levels and greater extremes of weather – renders our nation more vulnerable to such disasters, Blatchford calls for greater attention to prevention and mitigation of weather effects for all communities. The article offers examples of where this work is being done in inclusive ways.

Enterprise also has produced Ready to Respond Tools for Resilience, including a preparedness self-assessment, disaster staffing toolkit, building retrofit strategies and more than 100 training videos on disaster preparedness.