RAPID/Collaborative Research: The Forgotten Aspects of Evacuation: Mass Evacuee Processing and Care by Host Communities Following the Haiti Earthquake

University Of North Texas, Denton TX

Investigators

Abstract

This Grant for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) will focus on studying the integration of evacuees from the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti into life in Florida. Researchers and policymakers have been concerned about how to manage hazards in large cities, but few have considered the likely effects of a catastrophe away from the impacted urban area. The catastrophic consequences of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans resulted in hundreds of thousands of people becoming displaced from their homes for months, years, or even permanently; while the communities to which they had fled or to which they were transported had no guidance to prepare for or respond to the mass influx of these evacuees. This situation was virtually unprecedented in US history, leaving the emergency management community and the political systems it supports with no appropriate plans, legal instruments, policies, or pre-considered options available to deal with the magnitude of the situation. Apart from challenges to officials, the unpredictable and faltering housing and social-service initiatives resulted in additional stress and anguish for evacuees. Now, the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti stands as one of the preeminent catastrophes in this hemisphere in recorded history, resulting in tens of thousands of internally and internationally displaced refugees. This disaster foreshadows what could be experienced when large numbers of people are forced to travel far from their places of residence for assistance after a catastrophe. In this project, focusing on the Haiti earthquake, researchers will study how organizations: (1) identified and prioritized evacuees? needs as they traveled to the United States for assistance; ( 2) assessed the availability of resources to meet those needs; and (3) administered both public and private aid systems, including new or emergent ones. This research particularly focuses on the administrative impediments that arise from inconsistent regulations, disconnected or conflicting procedures between agencies, or pre-existing administrative structures that are tested by unusual requests. Findings from this study will inform policy makers who need to improve capacities for assisting people who have escaped disaster. There is a sizable risk for catastrophic earthquakes in several areas of the United States, including on the West Coast and in the Midwest. This work should provide needed guidance for US emergency planners in potential host regions to better accommodate evacuees by enhancing interagency emergency planning and facilitating interactions between and among public officials, government agencies, non-profit entities, and emergent organizations.