Communication preferences during the recovery phase of a hurricane disaster: Rural residents prefer face-to-face interaction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0887Keywords:
hurricane, communication preferences, recovery phase, rurality, literacyAbstract
Objective: The recovery phase of the emergency management cycle is understudied. This research aimed to understand the communication preferences of rural residents with low literacy during the recovery phase of a hurricane and flooding disaster.
Methods: During October and November 2019, three focus groups (n = 32) were conducted with members of church congregations in three small townships in eastern North Carolina. Audio recordings were transcribed and coded for communication preferences and themes.
Results: Participants were primarily non-White (62 percent), over age 55 (78 percent), and a majority (70 percent) had completed high school or less education. The primary communication preference for the recovery phase was face-to-face. Television (TV) was seen as an approach to disseminate dates and times for local in-person meetings and provide phone numbers to speak with a “live” person. Social media was not a dominant communication preference. Themes that emerged included the following: (1) governmental response related to repairs and buyout following past hurricanes has been too slow; (2) the elderly and those with low literacy seek in-person attention in their towns; (3) residents feel “forgotten” because resources are concentrated in the county seat.
Conclusions: Rural residents prefer face-to-face communication in the recovery phase. Multiple approaches to communication may be most effective to distribute recovery phase opportunities.
References
RebuildNC: Hurricane Matthew resilient redevelopment plan, v1.2 draft. Pitt County, NC, May 2017. Available at https://files.nc.gov/rebuildnc/documents/matthew/rebuildnc_pitt_plan_combined.pdf. Accessed June 10, 2024.
RebuildNC: Hurricane Florence CDBG-DR action plan amendment 5. State of North Carolina, June 23, 2023. Available at https://www.rebuild.nc.gov/cdbg-drflorence-action-planamendment-5-updates-16june2023final508v2pdf/open. Accessed June 10, 2024.
Kunkel KE, Easterling DR, Ballinger A, et al.: North Carolina climate science report. North Carolina Institute for climate studies. 2020: 233. Available at https://ncics.org/nccsr. Accessed June 10, 2024.
Flanagan BE, Gregory EW, Hallisey EJ, et al.: A social vulnerability index for disaster management. J Homeland Security Emerg Manag. 2011; 8(1): 1-22.
Horney J, Simon M, Grabich S, et al.: Measuring participation by socially vulnerable groups in hazard mitigation planning, Bertie county, North Carolina. J Environ Plann Manag. 2014; 58(5): 802-818.
Eisenman DP, Cordasco KM, Asch S, et al.: Disaster planning and risk communication with vulnerable communities: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina. Am J Public Health. 2007; 97(Suppl. 1): S109-S115. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.084335.
Bevc CA, Simon MC, Montoya TA, et al.: Institutional facilitators and barriers to local public health preparedness planning for vulnerable and at-risk populations. Public Health Rep. 2014; 129(Suppl. 4): 35-41. DOI: 10.1177/00333549141296S406.
CDC: Social Vulnerability Index. Available at https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html. Accessed June 11, 2024.
Neuse River Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan: Available at https://www.pittcountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10905/2020-Neuse-River-Hazard-Mitigation-Plan. Accessed June 10, 2024.
USDA, Food and Nutrition Service: Available at https://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/rural-designation. Accessed June 10, 2024.
Pitt County Planning Department: Hydrology map of Pitt County, NC, April 28, 2016. Available at https://www.pittcountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/624/Map-A-6-Pitt-County-Hydrology-PDF?bidId=. Accessed June 11, 2024.
Fay J, Newman JJ, Gradin HJ (eds.): Watching TV Off the Back of a Fire Truck: Voices from the Floyd Flood in Eastern North Carolina. Greensboro, NC: Crossroads Press, 2005.
Rose DA, Murthy S, Brooks J, et al.: The evolution of public health emergency management as a field of practice. Am J Public Health. 2017; 107(S2): S126-S133. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.303947a.
FEMA: National Preparedness Framework. Available at https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/frameworks. Accessed June 10, 2024.
Fathollahzadeh A, Salmani I, Morowatisharifabad MA, et al.: Models and components in disaster risk communication: A systematic literature review. J Educ Health Promot. 2023; 12: 87. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_277_22.
Yeager VA, Menachemi N, McCormick LC, et al.: The nature of the public health emergency preparedness literature 2000-2008: A quantitative analysis. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2010; 16(5): 441-449. DOI: 10.1097/PHH.0b013e3181c33de4.
FEMA: National disaster recovery framework information sheet. Available at https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/information_sheet_recovery_framework.pdf. Accessed June 10, 2024.
Vanderford ML, Nastoff T, Telfer JL, et al.: Emergency communication challenges in response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. J Appl Commun Res. 2007; 35(1): 9-25.
Bachmann DJ, Jamison NK, Martin A, et al.: Emergency preparedness and disaster response: There’s an app for that. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2015; 30(5): 486-490. DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X15005099.
Kirsch TD, Circh R, Bissell RA, et al.: “Just-in-time” personal preparedness: Downloads and usage patterns of the American Red Cross hurricane application during hurricane sandy. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2016; 10(5): 762-767.
Niles MT, Emery BF, Reagan AJ, et al.: Social media usage patterns during natural hazards. PLoS One. 2019; 14(2): E0210484. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210484.
Fraustino JD, Liu B, Jin Y: Social Media Use During Disasters: A Review of the Knowledge Base and Gaps. College Park, MD: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), 2012.
Vera-Burgos CM, Griffin Padgett DR: Using twitter for crisis communications in a natural disaster: Hurricane Harvey. Heliyon. 2020; 6(9): E04804. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04804.
Chu H, Yang J: Building disaster resilience using social messaging networks: The WeChat community in Houston, Texas, during Hurricane Harvey. Disasters. 2020; 44(4): 726-752. DOI: 10.1111/disa.12388.
Brandt HM, Turner-McGrievy G, Friedman DB, et al.: Examining the role of Twitter in response and recovery during and after historic flooding in South Carolina. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2019; 25(5): E6-E12.
Petrun Sayers EL, Parker AM, Ramchand R, et al.: Reaching vulnerable populations in the disaster-prone US Gulf Coast: Communicating across the crisis lifecycle. J Emerg Manag. 2019; 17(4): 271-286. DOI: 10.5055/jem.2019.0426.
Fussell E: The long term recovery of new Orleans’ population after Hurricane Katrina. Am Behav Sci. 2015; 59(10): 1231-1245. DOI: 10.1177/0002764215591181.
FEMA: Roadmap to federal resources for disaster recovery. 2022: 267. Available at https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_roadmap-federal-resources-for-disaster-recovery.pdf. Accessed June 10, 2024.
Wolkin A, Schnall A, Nakata N, et al.: Getting the message out: Social media and word-of-mouth as effective communication methods during emergencies. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019; 34(1): 89-94. DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X1800119X.
Petrun Sayers EL, Parker AM, Seelam R, et al.: How disasters drive media channel preferences: Tracing news consumption before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey. J Contingencies Crisis Manag. 2021; 29: 342-356. DOI: 10.1111/1468-5973.12348.
Chow NA, Toda M, Pennington AF, et al.: Hurricane-associated mold exposures among patients at risk for invasive mold infections after Hurricane Harvey—Houston, Texas, 2017. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019; 68: 469-473. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6821a1externalicon.
Gable AR, Der-Martirosian C, Pinnock LN, et al.: Disaster-related communication preferences of homeless and nonhomeless VA patients. J Emerg Manag. 2018; 16(1): 49-59. DOI: 10.5055/jem.2018.0353.
Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J: Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ): A 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int J Qual Health Care. 2007; 19(6): 349-357. DOI: 10.1093/intqhc/mzm042.
US Department of Commerce, Census Bureau: Available at https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/pittcountynorthcarolina/PST045222. Accessed June 12, 2024.
Andrade EL, Barrett ND, Edberg MC, et al.: Resilience of communities in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria: Community-based preparedness and communication strategies. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2023; 17: e53. DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2021.306.
Burger J, Gochfeld M, Jeitner C, et al.: Trusted information sources used during and after superstorm sandy: TV and radio were used more often than social media. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2013; 76(20): 1138-1150. DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2013.844087.
Cretikos MA, Merritt TD, Main K, et al.: Mitigating the health impacts of a natural disaster—The June 2007 long-weekend storm in the hunter region of New South Wales. Med J Aust. 2007; 187(11-12): 670-673. DOI: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01470.x.
Lazrus H, Morrow BH, Morss RE, et al.: Vulnerability beyond stereotypes: Context and agency in hurricane risk communication. Am Meteorol Soc. 2012; 4: 103-109.
James X, Hawkins A, Rowel R: An assessment of the cultural appropriateness of emergency preparedness communication for low income minorities. J Homel Secur Emerg Manag. 2007; 4(3). DOI: 10.2202/1547-7355.1266.
So M, Franks JL, Cree RA, et al.: An evaluation of the literacy demands of online natural disaster preparedness materials for families. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2020; 14(4): 449-458. DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2019.62.
Brown LM, Haun JN, Peterson L: A proposed disaster literacy model. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2014; 8(3): 267-275. DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2014.43.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright 2007-2025, Weston Medical Publishing, LLC and Journal of Emergency Management. All Rights Reserved.
