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302246
Response, Recovery and Resilience to Oil Spills and Environmental Disasters: Exploration and Use of Novel Approaches to Enhance Community Resilience
Monday, November 17, 2014
Anna Harding, PhD
,
School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Margaret Reams, PhD
,
Department of Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Kim Anderson, PhD
,
Department of Environmental & Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Wilma Subra, MS
,
Technical Advisor, Louisiana Environmental Action Networks, Baton Rouge, LA
Nina Lam, PhD
,
Department of Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Steven O'Connell, MS
,
Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Lane Tidwell, MS
,
Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Researchers from NIEHS-funded Superfund Research Programs at Oregon State University (OSU) and Louisiana State University (LSU) convened a diverse gathering of leaders of Gulf Coast regional non-governmental organizations (NGOs), regulatory agencies, residents and researchers to examine events following recent environmental disasters. The objectives of the workshop were to: (1) develop unique findings from participant experiences that could be beneficial to others involved in disaster response and recovery efforts; (2) address gaps in our theoretical understanding of the processes by which resilience is enhanced, specifically the linkages between response and recovery activities and longer-term resilience; and, (3) offer specific recommendations and create a new framework for the improvement of response, recovery and resilience in future disasters. Focus-group discussions worked in parallel on three topics important for enhancing resilience to environmental disasters. These were: response and characterizing exposure, recovery and the role of citizen scientists, and resilience and community participation. The participants agreed that improvements are needed in three broad, related areas: pre-disaster planning, post-disaster environmental assessments, and communication of environmental monitoring results. Their recommended solutions included increased training for “citizen scientists”, more use of innovative environmental sampling technologies, and greater sharing of information concerning post-event environmental conditions among stakeholders and agencies. The recommendations would not only improve future response and recovery efforts, but should strengthen communities by supporting key theoretical attributes of resilience, including building social capital and trust among stakeholders, and facilitating more accurate understanding of changing risk levels and adaptive measures needed to reduce exposure risks following environmental disasters.
Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health
Learning Objectives:
Identify three monitoring techniques that community members may employ after a disaster to better understand their exposures.
Describe three approaches that may be used to integrate citizen scientists in community disaster recovery efforts.
Explain how communities can contribute to building resilience to environmental disasters.
Keyword(s): Disasters, Emergency Preparedness
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a collaborator on two of the NIEHS grants that partially funded the project that is being presented. I have presented at numerous conferences and have expertise in community resilience.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
