Using community-based approaches to address the needs and assets of a community post-disaster: The story of Project R.I.S.E

With mounting concerns of uncoordinated post-disaster efforts, disaster response has become a national public health priority. Recently, research focusing on identifying the needs of medically underserved populations has been a primary directive of many federal agencies; however, in the public health arena, there is little data describing the combined effects of a disaster and living in a medically underserved rural area on a community's health. We employed community-based approaches to determine the needs and assets of a rural Southern community during their recovery from a man-made disaster.

We enlisted community investigators and a community advisory board (CAB) to help inform the development of this project. Demographic data were obtained using a self-administered anonymous survey. The photovoice method was employed with 30 community residents (ages 18-65) to determine the community's needs and assets post-disaster. Participants attended four photovoice meetings and received a $60 incremental incentive for their participation.

We will describe our community participatory process as well as present photovoice results. Data will be presented in the form provided by participants to include photographs, narrative descriptions of the photographic images, and thematic groupings regarding the effect of the disaster on the community's health, the community's quality of life, and their access to healthcare.

Community-based approaches must be considered when working with underserved communities to determine how their health and quality of life are impacted by disasters. It is essential to relay successful models of these approaches to direct the efforts of public health practitioners and researchers.