Disaster Resistant Communities Initiative: Assessment Of Ten Non-Pilot Communities
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Date
2002
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Abstract
Description
The Disaster Research Center has been conducting research on the implementation of
Project Impact in communities around the U.S. since 1997. In earlier studies, research
activities focused on charting the progress of Project Impact implementation in the seven
original pilot communities. This report contains findings from DRC field work in other
communities that subsequently joined Project Impact when the program was expanded.
In all, ten communities were involved in this phase of DRC’s work-one in each federal
region.
To be included in this study, communities had to have achieved at least some level of
sustained activity toward Project Impact goals. The communities chosen for the study
vary in size; four are small, four are intermediate-sized, and two have large populations.
The ten communities also differ with respect to the hazards to which they are vulnerable.
Communities were selected to allow for variation in population demographics; while
some communities have populations that are predominantly Caucasian, others have significant minority populations. To ensure confidentiality of study informants, study
communities are not discussed by name in this report.
In 2000, DRC researchers made site visits to each of the ten communities, conducted a
total of thirty-five interviews with Project Impact coordinators and other key informants,
and collected a wide range of Project Impact-related documents. Data that were collected
included information on partnership networks; strategies for developing and maintaining
partnerships; vulnerable populations targeted by Project Impact activities; the status of
risk assessment, mitigation, partnership, and education activities; the organizational
structures that were developed to manage Project Impact activities; the benefits and
challenges associated with Project Impact participation; and views expressed regarding
the future of Project Impact-related activities in the study communities.
Keywords
Non-Pilot Communities, Disaster Resistant Communities, Partnerships