Creating Disaster Resilient Bi-national Communities Through Awareness & Education

Natural and Man-made disasters have become a common global phenomenon over the past decades. Preparing for emergencies is a major public health concern for the communities that reside in disaster prone areas. The objective of this study is to promote awareness for the necessity of emergency preparedness and at the same time highlight resources and assets that a community possesses to respond. Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods were used to assess the level of emergency preparedness in one urban and one rural bi-national community in Riverside County, California. Partnerships with local community-based organizations, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (urban) and Poder Popular of Eastern Coachella Valley (rural) were established to foster relationships with community members. The study's qualitative analysis, which includes results from windshield surveys, key-informant interviews, and focus groups, revealed that language barriers, social economic status, and the scarcity of basic emergency preparedness contribute to the communities' vulnerability. Community members expressed concern for their lack of knowledge and limited resources to support their families after a large-scale disaster. In order to create a culture of preparedness among community members, the study aimed to build an emergency preparedness network between community health workers and promotores, and local governmental organizations, through the facilitation of training and certification in community emergency response. Jointly with promotores, a theory-based curriculum was developed and implemented at a community-wide emergency preparedness health fair. The efficacy of the educational training sessions, as well as facilitators, barriers, and success stories will be presented.