Authors : Miracle Nnaji

Volume/Issue : Volume 9 - 2024, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/ekk3m8wp

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/4vxk7ev3

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/IJISRT24MAY003

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : When disasters strike, vulnerable areas that are economically disadvantaged are adversely affected economically, culturally, and healthily, as the lack of resources and vulnerabilities amplify their problems. This research focuses on the population specifics of disaster vulnerabilities and targeted policies for economically depressed neighborhoods in Oklahoma. Relative to less susceptible entities, poor people are likelier to take damage from tornados, winter storms, wildland fires, and flooding because they lack the resources required for preparation, response, and recovery. Through an equity-focused lens, the study examines four key factors amplifying disaster risk: those due to aging critical infrastructure, lack of insurance and savings, health disparities, or the failure to plan adequately. Collapsed stormwater drainage systems, roads, bridges, and water pipes in financially deprived communities experience cracks in a hurry during duresses. With little or no funds, families earning every paycheck cannot afford to purchase rescue insurance or, in the case of names, save money to build an emergency fund, including money to cover repair costs, temporary housing, and other costs. This is, of course, made even worse by any previously existing medical, disability, or mental health issues as well, with poorer health outcomes than might usually be expected since access to healthcare services, treatments, and medications is also disrupted. Lastly, language and education barriers lead to the lower development of disaster plans; the delays include access to early warning systems and a need for more awareness of risks among vulnerable groups. Given these weaknesses, the study offers policymakers, funders, and resilience practitioner’s implementable policy, investment, and community-oriented intervention recommendations. The hazards can be lessened by prioritizing infrastructure upgrades, insurance reduction, and commitment to spread-out shelters and relief supplies. Long-term recovery programs financed specifically by equal aid promote program equity of rebuilding. Regarding inclusive messaging on public preparation and early warnings, local trusted institutions should be appropriated to reach a diverse population. Collaborative networks among government agencies, relief organizations, businesses, and grassroots associations can bolster response capacity. Their unified efforts on localized resilience initiatives advance strategic plans for the state's most economically fragile neighborhoods. Implementation should focus on those with the highest vulnerability markers and the least ability to prepare, respond, and recover independently— metrics assessing community functionality, equity factors, and recovering spending offer evidence-based progress milestones. With climate change projected to increase disaster severity in Oklahoma, research-driven and equitable resilience policies for marginalized communities can reduce prolonged suffering. Tailored preparation, outreach, critical system backups, and financial support lessen acute shocks and accelerate recovery. However, sustainable policy change relies on addressing root socioeconomic inequalities through systemic interventions beyond immediate disaster management.

Keywords : Economic Resilience, Vulnerable Communities, Disaster Management, Mitigation, Oklahom.

References :

1. Amirlatifi, A., Bijay, K. C., Ghazanfari, E., Vahedifard, F., & Kosarian, M. Resilience through Data Analytics: Investigating the Shift of Seismic Activities in Oklahoma. In Geo-Extreme 2021 (pp. 415-425).
2. Bonanno, G. A., Brewin, C. R., Kaniasty, K., & Greca, A. M. L. (2010). Weighing the costs of disaster: Consequences, risks, and resilience in individuals, families, and communities. Psychological science in the public interest, 11(1), 1-49.
3. Chakraborty, J., Tobin, G. A., & Montz, B. E. (2005). Population evacuation: assessing spatial variability in geophysical risk and social vulnerability to natural hazards. Natural Hazards Review, 6(1), 23-33.
4. City of Tulsa. (2021). Stormwater Management
5. Cross, J. A. (2001). Megacities and small towns: different perspectives on hazard vulnerability. Global Environmental Change Part B: Environmental Hazards, 3(2), 63-80.
6. Cutter, S. L., Boruff, B. J., & Shirley, W. L. (2003). Social vulnerability to environmental hazards. Social science quarterly, 84(2), 242-261.
7. Derakhshan, S., Hodgson, M. E., & Cutter, S. L. (2020). Vulnerability of populations exposed to seismic risk in the state of Oklahoma. Applied geography, 124, 102295.
8. Eisenman, D. P., Cordasco, K. M., Asch, S., Golden, J. F., & Glik, D. (2007). Disaster planning and risk communication with vulnerable communities: lessons from Hurricane Katrina. American journal of public health, 97(S1), S109-S115.
9. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (2019). Internet Access Services: Status as of December 31, 2017
10. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). (2018). National Household Disaster Preparedness Survey - Oklahoma.
11. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). (2022). Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities.
12. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). (2022). Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program.
13. Glade, S., Niles, S., Roudbari, S., Pezzullo, P. C., Dashti, S., Liel, A. B., & Miller, S. L. (2022). Disaster resilience and sustainability of incarceration infrastructures: A review of the literature. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 103190.
14. Johnson, L.A., & Rainey, S.A. (2007). Hurricane Katrina: Public health and environmental justice issues front and center. Race, Poverty & the Environment, 12(2), 69-71.
15. Kishore, N., Marqués, D., Mahmud, A., Kiang, M. V., Rodriguez, I., Fuller, A., ... & Buckee, C. O. (2018). Mortality in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. New England Journal of Medicine, 379(2), 162-170.
16. Lamb, K. V., Foerster, A., & Jones, J. (2020). Disproportionate impact of climate change environmental health risks on American Indian tribes and Alaska Natives in the United States. Environmental Research Letters, 15(12), 125004.
17. Liu, Y., & McNeil, S. (2020). Using resilience in risk-based asset management plans. Transportation Research Record, 2674(4), 178–192.
18. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (2022). Oklahoma River Flooding.
19. Oklahoma Department of Education (ODE). (2014). Tornado Preparedness.
20. Patel, S. S., Rogers, M. B., Amlôt, R., & Rubin, G. J. (2017). What Do We Mean by ‘Community Resilience’? A Systematic Literature Review of How It Is Defined in the Literature. PLOS Currents Disasters, 1.
21. Paul, B. K., & Stimers, M. (2014). Exploring probable reasons for record fatalities: the case of 2011 Joplin, Missouri, tornado. Natural Hazards, 74(2), 1567-1584.
22. Peacock, W. G., Van Zandt, S., Zhang, Y., & Highfield, W. E. (2014). Inequities in long-term housing recovery after disasters. Journal of the American Planning Association, 80(4), 356-371.
23. Phillips, B.D., & Morrow, B.H. (2007). Social science research needs: Focus on vulnerable populations, forecasting, and warnings. Natural Hazards Review, 8(3), 61-68.
24. Platt, S., Brown, D., & Hughes, M. (2016). Measuring resilience and recovery. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 19, 447-460.
25. Ratnapradipa, D., Middleton, J., Wulfhorst, J. D., & Rao, N. (2011). Oklahoma physicians' knowledge and perceptions of state health emergency operations plans for pandemic influenza and terrorism. Biosecurity and bioterrorism: biodefense strategy, practice, and science, 9(2), 147-155.
26. Rodriguez, S. R., Tocco, J. S., Mallonee, S., Smithee, L., Cathey, T., & Bradley, K. (2006). Rapid needs assessment of Hurricane Katrina evacuees—Oklahoma, September 2005. Prehospital and disaster medicine, 21(6), 390-395.
27. Shannon, T. (2023, July 8). Poverty in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City Sentinel.
28. Shriver, T. E., & Kennedy, D. K. (2005). Contested environmental hazards and community conflict over relocation. Rural Sociology, 70(4), 491-513.
29. Simmons, K.M., & Sutter, D. (2018). False alarms, tornado warnings, and tornado casualties. Weather, Climate, and Society, 10(3), 515-524.
30. Smith, G. P. (2018). Assessment of Differences in Access to Recovery Resources between Minority Communities and Overall Communities after Recent Florida Disasters. Bellwether Education Partners.
31. Smith, G.P. (2019). Planning for post-disaster recovery: Next generation. Island Press.
32. Straub, A. M. (2022). Rural Oklahoma and the Nexus of Disaster Vulnerability, Risk, and Resilience (Doctoral dissertation, Oklahoma State University).
33. Straub, A. M., Gray, B. J., Ritchie, L. A., & Gill, D. A. (2020). Cultivating disaster resilience in rural Oklahoma: Community disenfranchisement and relational aspects of social capital. Journal of Rural Studies, 73, 105-113.
34. U.S. Census Bureau. (2017). Language Spoken at Home: 2017 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates: Oklahoma.