Comparative Analysis of Community Disaster Recovery

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This project focuses upon lessons that can be learned from the Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17, 1989. The project is a one-year comparative study of disaster impacts and initial community recovery activities in Charleston County, South Carolina and Santa Cruz County, California. These two counties, which are roughly comparable in population size, both recently sustained extensive damage in two major natural disasters, Hurricane Hugo (Charleston) and the Loma Prieta earthquake (Santa Cruz). The objectives of the study are to (1) document disaster impacts and early recovery issues and activities in the two communities; (2) develop a set of socio-economic indicators that can be used to chart disaster recovery, and begin collecting data on those indicators; and (3) conduct comparative analyses and develop hypotheses concerning factors that explain outcomes in the recovery period. Data for the study will come from archives, documents, community statistics, and other records, as well as from in- depth interviews with representatives of key organizations in both communities.