Examining racial/ethnic differences in emergency preparedness among economically disadvantaged Marylanders

Background/Purpose: Not all groups are equally prepared for natural disasters. Research has identified females, female heads of the households, elderly, children, minorities and the poor as less likely to be prepared for disasters as compared to their counterparts. In particular, poor minorities are at an even greater disadvantage; not only do financial limitations make it difficult to purchase survival kit items but language barriers can also prevent individuals from accessing vital preparedness information as well as creating effective emergency plans. Limited research has examined differences in preparedness among low income minorities or those with first hand accounts of natural disasters. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss racial/ethnic differences in emergency preparedness among economically disadvantaged Marylanders who have lived experiences of a natural disaster.

Methods: Low income African Americans and Spanish-speaking Hispanics impacted by either Hurricane Isabel or a 2002 LaPlata, Maryland tornado were surveyed on their lived experiences, before, during and after the disaster. Later, a purposive sample of survey participants was recruited to participate in a series of focus group discussions to further probe survey results.

Results: Spanish-speaking Hispanics were significantly less likely to be prepared for natural disasters than African Americans and Whites, (p <.01). Fear of being deported was often cited as a reason for not seeking preparedness information by the Hispanics.

Conclusions: While preparedness information has been universally delivered to the general population, perhaps a more strategic approach to preparedness outreach needs to be used to increase preparedness levels among low income Spanish-speaking Hispanics.