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

2008年12月22日清晨，田纳西州金斯顿附近一个40英亩、50英尺高的煤炭燃烧废料池向附近的山谷和田纳西河的几条支流排放了540多万立方码的煤灰。这次事件被认为是世界上最严重的环境灾难之一。这是美国历史上最大的一次此类灾难。这项研究着眼于这一技术灾难对该地区社区的社会影响。具体来说，它试图了解灾难如何影响该地区个人和群体之间的关系。人与人之间的关系、联系或网络有时被称为“社会资本”，可以创造信任。信任是至关重要的，因为它允许人们为共同的目标而努力，它促进了社区的福祉。研究表明，社会资本在灾后社区重建中发挥着重要作用。灾害发生后，社会资本促进信息共享，加强社会支持，并通过提高集体行动能力帮助社区获得所需资源。然而，人们对灾难影响社会资本的方式知之甚少。这项研究包括在泄漏地点Roane县和附近的Anderson县进行访谈和家庭调查，Anderson县将作为对照。泄漏后收集的数据将与2000年社会资本社区基准调查的数据进行比较。该研究还将长期跟踪社区。研究问题集中在灾后社会关系及其与个人和社区压力和应对的关系；关于谁应该为泄漏负责的信念；对科学、技术和风险的信念；以及社会资本如何影响社区恢复。尽管社会资本很重要，但人们对社会资本如何促进抗灾能力的关注相对较少。韧性不仅包括一个社区从事件中恢复的能力，还包括它首先承受灾难影响的能力。研究田纳西州煤灰泄漏事件后的社会资本将增加对社区抗灾能力的理解。研究结果可以指导与这一具体事件有关的地方和区域恢复工作。更广泛地说，研究结果将为美国目前在全国范围内为环境灾害后的恢复做准备和计划提供信息。

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.