Collaborative Research: A Pre/Post Disaster Investigation of the Effect of Network Capacities on Disaster Response

这个研究项目调查在灾难发生之前可以做些什么来改善机构间的沟通和协调。由于一系列社会、经济、发展、物理和环境因素，洪水、飓风、龙卷风和野火等自然灾害预计会增加。因此，我们需要更好地了解社区如何应对和更好地为灾害做好准备。这个项目在两个方面是独一无二的。首先，它将检验诸如对社区的依恋、组织间关系和网络领导等因素是否与更好的社区准备有关。其次，该研究将在灾难发生之前测量社区中的这些因素，看看它们是否会在实际灾难发生时带来更好的沟通和协调。野火是美国最常见的自然灾害之一，因此是本研究的重点。这项研究的结果将有助于改善灾害管理，因为它提供的信息可以告知参与备灾和救灾的许多机构、组织和团体如何更好地组织起来，以创建更具抗灾能力的社区。这些改善灾害管理的经验教训将直接传达给合作机构和组织，如美国林务局消防和航空管理局、国家事故管理组织以及各州和地方野火应对组织。研究人员还将与感兴趣的公众以及专业和学术观众更广泛地分享这项工作。开展这项研究将为学生培训提供机会，并扩大与对灾害奖学金感兴趣的主要机构领导人的研究伙伴关系。

This research project investigates what can be done before an event to improve inter-agency communication and coordination during a disaster. Due to a number of social, economic, developmental, physical and environmental factors, natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires are anticipated to increase. Consequently, we need to have a better understanding of how communities can respond to and better prepare for disasters. This project is unique in two ways. First, it will examine whether factors like attachment to community, inter-organizational relationships, and network leadership are associated with better community preparedness. Second, the research will measure these factors in communities ahead of a disaster to see if they lead to better communication and coordination when an actual disaster happens. Wildfires, because they are one of the most commonly occurring natural disasters in the United States, are the focal events of this research. The results from the research will help improve disaster management by providing information that can inform how the many agencies, organizations, and groups involved in disaster preparedness and response can better organize themselves to create more disaster resilient communities. These lessons for better disaster management will be communicated directly to partner agencies and organizations, such as the U.S Forest Service Fire and Aviation Management, National Incident Management Organization and various state and local wildfire response organizations. The investigators will also share this work more broadly with the interested public, as well as professional and academic audiences. Conducting the research will provide opportunities for student training, as well as expand research partnerships with leaders in key agencies interested in disaster scholarship.