Disaster Resilient Rural Communities: The Effect of Information Access on Rural Collective Efficacy

在现任总统政府的领导下，《美国复苏与再投资法案》(American Recovery And ReInvestment Act)已投入超过72亿美元用于宽带项目，旨在增加农村地区的连接和互联网接入。然而，人们对这些基础设施发展对农村社区社区复原力的潜在影响知之甚少，特别是在涉及公共安全职能、获取在线信息以及在面临季节性灾害风险的人群中发展个人和社区复原力的情况下。由于这些关键的基础设施投资，当务之急是研究在线信息获取对社区和个人复原力的作用。这项研究考察了在线信息的获取如何影响农村社区在灾难的所有阶段对个人和集体复原力的看法。我们将调查灾害暴露、个人和家庭层面的应对能力感知、信息获取以及对官方和其他来源通信的实际行为反应之间的相互影响，以更好地了解个人和社区的韧性。这项研究的结果将增加关于农村社区复原力关键方面的知识，包括社区资源、信息和通信基础设施、社会资本以及灾害所有阶段的社区能力，同时考虑到个人和社区一级的应对措施。这项研究的成果将包括更多地了解信息获取对社区复原力的作用，从而制定关于战略的建议，将缓解、备灾、应对和恢复阶段的信息使用和获取联系起来，因为它们影响农村社区的复原力。

Under the current Presidential Administration, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has dedicated more than $7.2 billion to broadband projects designed to increased connectivity and Internet access in rural areas. Little is known, however, about the potential effects of these infrastructure developments for community resiliency among rural communities, especially as it relates to public safety functions, access to information online, and the development of individual and community resiliency among populations at risk of seasonal hazards. It is imperative that the role of online information access on community and individual resilience is studied due to these critical infrastructure investments. This research examines the question how does access to online information effect the perception of individual and collective resilience in rural communities across all phases of disaster. We will investigate the interplay among disaster exposure, individual and family level coping ability perceptions, access to information, and actual behavioral responses to communications from official and other sources to better understand individual and community resilience. The findings from this research will increase knowledge about critical dimensions of rural community resiliency, including community resources, information and communication infrastructures, social capital, and community competence across all phases of disaster, taking into account the individual and community level responses. Outcomes of this research will include increased knowledge about the role of information access for community resilience leading to the development of recommendations on strategies to link information usage and access across the phases of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, as they affect rural community resilience.