Effects of Technological Disasters on Dimensions of Social Capital: A Longitudinal Study of the 2008 TVA Kingston Fossil Plant Ash Release

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

Early on the morning of December 22, 2008, a 40-acre, 50-foot-high coal combustion waste pond near Kingston, Tennessee, released more than 5.4 million cubic yards of coal fly ash into a nearby valley and along several branches of the Tennessee River. The event is considered one of the world's worst environmental disasters. It is the largest such disaster in U.S. history. This research looks at the social impacts of this technological disaster on communities in the region. Specifically, it seeks to understand how the disaster has affected relationships among individuals and groups in the area. Sometimes referred to as "social capital," relationships, connections, or networks among people create trust. Trust is critical because it allows people to work together toward common goals and it fosters community wellbeing. Research has shown that social capital plays an important role in community recovery after a disaster. Following disasters, social capital facilitates information sharing, enhances social support, and helps communities gain access to needed resources by increasing capacity for collective action. Little is known, however, about the ways in which disasters affect social capital. This study involves interviews and household surveys in Roane County, the site of the spill, and in nearby Anderson County which will serve as a control. Data collected after the spill will be compared with data from the 2000 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey. The study will also follow communities over time. Research questions focus on social relationships after the disaster and how they are related to individual and community stress and coping; beliefs about who is responsible for the spill; beliefs about science, technology, and risk; and how social capital may influence community recovery. Despite its importance, relatively little attention has been paid to how social capital contributes to disaster resilience. Resilience not only includes a community's ability to bounce back from an event, but also its ability to withstand the effects of a disaster in the first place. Studying social capital in the aftermath of the Tennessee coal ash spill will increase understanding of community resilience to disasters. Research findings can guide local and regional recovery efforts related to this specific incident. More broadly, results will inform current nationwide efforts in the United States to prepare and plan for recovery after environmental disasters.