Research Article Open Access Open Access Research Article Geography & Natural Disasters Shay et al., J Geogr Nat Disast 2014, 4:2 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2167-0587.1000125 Volume 4 • Issue 2 • 1000125 J Geogr Nat Disast ISSN: 2167-0587 JGND, an open access journal *Corresponding author: Jennifer A. Horney, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Texas A&M University, School of Rural Public Health, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77845, USA, Tel: 979-862-8168; E-mail: horney@srph.tamhsc.edu Received May 14, 2014; Accepted June 28, 2014; Published July 09, 2014 Citation: Shay E, Combs T, Salvesen D, DeTrizio D, Horney JA (2014) Assessing Disaster Preparedness of Oficials and Residents in Two North Carolina Counties. J Geogr Nat Disast 4: 125. doi:10.4172/2167-0587.1000125 Copyright: © 2014 Shay E, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Assessing Disaster Preparedness of Officials and Residents in Two North Carolina Counties Elizabeth Shay 1 , Tabitha Combs 1 , David Salvesen 1 , Diane DeTrizio 2 and Jennifer A Horney 3 * 1 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Institute for the Environment, USA2 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, USA 2 UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, USA 3 Texas A&M University, School of Rural Public Health, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77845, USA Abstract Emergency management professionals devote signiicant expertise and resources to preparing for emergencies through planning and exercises. Despite this preparation by professionals, residents are often unprepared for emergencies and unfamiliar with recommended practices. This is a concern particularly for those who are socially vulnerable, such as the elderly, those without transportation, or those who speak English less than well. To improve understanding of this gap in disaster preparedness, we interviewed emergency managers and others with professional knowledge about emergency preparedness and management at the County level. Findings were validated by surveying households to gather information about services and information received from oficials before, during, and after emergencies. Results suggest emergency managers are aware that improved communication with residents could improve preparedness. Residents cite clear priorities in the types of information they want from emergency managers, including where and when to evacuate, how to maintain safe water and sanitation during a disaster, and how to prepare their property for a disaster. Attention should be given to identifying vulnerable groups and providing them with information about preparing disaster plans and related topics. Keywords: Planning; Disaster preparedness; Vulnerability; Assessment Introduction Communities face a variety of serious threats, both natural (such as hurricanes, loods, ires and earthquakes) and technological (Eg explosions or spills). Some aspects of modern life, including encroachment of settlements into environmentally sensitive or hazardous areas and certain economic activities such as mining, reining, manufacturing and distribution, increase the threat of disasters and amplify negative impacts on physical and social systems. Injury and loss of life, along with property damage and social disruption, can devastate a community and require years or decades of recovery. Extreme events, like recent Hurricanes Irene (2011) and Sandy (2012), have drawn attention to the disproportionate impacts emergencies may have on vulnerable populations such as low-income households, the very young or very old, those with limited mobility, those facing language or cultural barriers, and those living in lood zones or in structurally deicient housing. Hurricane Sandy, which devastated the northeastern U.S. in 2012, also raised the specter of climate change, which is expected to produce more frequent and more severe natural disasters. North Carolina, on the central Atlantic coast of the U.S., faces various natural hazards, including tropical storms and hurricanes; loods, severe storms and tornadoes (some incidental to tropical systems moving inland, and others generated by other weather systems); and drought, wildires and winter storms. In addition, the state is vulnerable to technological hazards such as nuclear emergencies, industrial explosions, highway spills, or train derailments. While emergencies in North Carolina vary widely, communities in the state-whether urban or rural, coastal or inland-face common challenges in understanding, preparing for and responding to these events. Emergency planning and response in North Carolina is generally handled locally by County-or municipal-level professional staf, oten working collaboratively and regionally across jurisdictional lines. Emergency planning and response draws in not only emergency management, but other local professionals such as social services, public health, public schools, transportation planners and others. his paper draws from key informant interviews with 13 emergency planning and response professionals in two North Carolina counties (Alamance and Cabarrus). Interviews were conducted to learn about key informants’ experience in planning for and responding to emergencies. In addition, we use data gathered from surveys of 396 households in the same two counties to assess what residents know about emergency preparedness and response and how they prepare for and behave during emergencies. Findings from the interviews and surveys may be useful to public health and emergency management oicials seeking to improve citizen response to evacuation or sheltering orders during emergencies, and help improve preparedness and communications by citizens and oicials before, during, and ater an emergency. Alamance County, North Carolina is located in the north-central piedmont between Greensboro and Raleigh. Burlington, the County seat, has approximately 50,000 residents; otherwise, the County is largely rural. Local experts knowledgeable about emergency