Research Announcement from the R&E Team!
Graphic Credit: ready.nola.gov
Hurricane preparedness is deeply important in New Orleans, a city that is often threatened by and experiences the harmful impacts of powerful storms. It’s critical to safeguard lives, property, and the future of our city. It involves thorough and coordinated efforts by individuals, communities, and local authorities to make sure that residents are informed, have access to resources, and are ready to respond effectively when hurricanes occur. To make sure that we are all aligned and able to be as ready as possible for the next disaster, in partnership with Unity of Greater New Orleans, our Research & Evaluation (R&E) team started a study titled Factors Impacting Hurricane Emergency Preparedness among Low-Income and Other Vulnerable Populations of Orleans and Jefferson Parishes.
By speaking with service providers and residents in one-on-one interviews, focus groups, or surveys, we aim to understand how people perceive their risk and what their experiences are like preparing for major hurricanes, investigate what services and supports exist, and identify gaps so that service providers, decision-makers, and funders can be better informed on how best to support hurricane preparedness efforts, especially for our most vulnerable residents.
Because multiple factors (e.g., social, political, environmental), especially economic inequities, create conditions for the harshest experience of disasters, we want to understand what disaster-related experiences vulnerable populations living in Orleans and Jefferson parishes face, including their emergency evacuation, sheltering, resource, and service needs in the event and immediate aftermath of hurricanes and storm-related impacts.
FOR THE SAKE OF THIS STUDY, We DEFINE vulnerable populations as people who are:
Pregnant
Responsible for children and/or live-in dependents
Living with physical disabilities
Living with mental illness and/or other behavioral health challenges
Experiencing chronic illness(es)
Low-income
Aged 65 or older
Migrants/Displaced
Unstably-housed/Unhoused
By improving and recognizing the collective responsibility hurricane preparedness involves, New Orleans can better protect its citizens and strengthen its ability to recover from the challenges posed by hurricanes!
