Natural Disasters and Preparedness Among Refugees and Immigrants with Limited English Proficiency

Repeated experiences of natural disasters along the Houston Galveston coast line has caused disruption in the lives of thousands of residents. Evaluation of disaster preparedness messages reveal that many limited English proficient (LEP) individuals are not adequately informed about natural disasters and how to access resources for recovery. During July to November 2009, the City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services initiated an inquiry into the understanding of disaster preparedness in four LEP communities in Houston, Texas – Chinese, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. The goals of the project were twofold. One, to better understand the issues related to disaster planning and preparedness and two, to improve information dissemination to LEP communities. Qualitative data was collected through four focus groups and at least four key informant interviews with members in each community. Through partnerships with community based organizations and using a community based participatory approach, bilingual facilitators from each of the communities were identified and trained to conduct focus groups. A total of 144 individuals participated in the study. Analysis of focus group data revealed that LEP immigrants have their own unique understanding of disasters, preparedness and perceptions of risk. Information on their experiences with Hurricane Ike suggest specific ways of accessing services, credible sources of information and characteristics of the message and their preferred media sources.