RAPID: Technological versus Natural Disasters: Consequences for Early Recovery Planning and Decision-Making at the Community and Household Level

这项快速反应研究（RAPID）赠款的目的是探索美国两个小城镇的社区和居民灾后恢复。2013年春季，两个城镇都经历了灾害，但一个城镇经历了自然灾害，另一个城镇发生了技术灾害。为了了解灾难恢复如何根据灾难类型而有所不同，我们比较了每个城镇的即时恢复时间。研究人员经常比较不同社区或不同时期的灾害影响。我们的研究利用了一个难得的机会，比较在规模，位置和文化特征相似，但在同一时间面临不同灾难的社区的灾难恢复。我们正在从两个城镇的社区领导和居民那里收集数据，以解决灾后社区规划、以社区为基础的恢复活动以及居民重建或搬迁的决定和努力等对灾后恢复至关重要的问题。虽然以前的研究提高了人们对灾害的认识，社区如何从灾害中恢复，以及什么使社区具有弹性，但仍然有很多东西需要学习。我们的研究结果将有助于其他社区为他们面临的灾难制定计划。这项研究直接响应了美国联邦和州政府为提高当地社区的抗灾能力所做的努力。全国各地的社区都面临着这两种灾害的风险。人为灾害，如工业事故，爆炸或化学品泄漏，对任何在家庭和企业附近有危险设施的社区来说都是一种风险。自然灾害，如龙卷风，洪水，飓风和地震，经常发生在全国各地。根据在该项目中学到的知识，将就其他地方社区如何提高其复原力并在灾害发生时更好地从灾害中恢复提出建议。

The purpose of this Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant is to explore community and resident post-disaster recovery in two small US towns. Both towns experienced disasters in the spring of 2013, but one town experienced a natural disaster while the other town had a technological disaster. To understand how disaster recovery differs based on the type of disaster, we are comparing the immediate recovery periods in each town. Often researchers compare disaster effects across very different communities or across different time periods. Our research takes advantage of a rare opportunity to compare disaster recovery in communities that are similar in size, location, and cultural traits but faced different disasters at about the same time. We are gathering data from community leaders and residents in both towns to address topics important to disaster recovery, including post-disaster community planning, community-based recovery activities, and residents' rebuilding or relocating decisions and efforts.Although previous research has improved what people know about disasters, how communities recover from them, and what makes communities resilient, there is still a lot to learn. The results of our research will help other communities as they plan for the disasters they face. This research responds directly to efforts by US Federal and state governments to increase the disaster resilience of local communities. Communities across the country face the risk of both types of disaster. Man-made disasters, such as industrial accidents, explosions, or chemical leaks, are a risk for any community that has hazardous facilities located near homes and businesses. Natural disasters, such as tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes, regularly occur across the country. Based on what is learned in this project, recommendations will be made about how other local communities can increase their resilience and be better able to recover from disasters when they do occur.