An increasingly recognized concern in emergency preparedness is the inadequate engagement and education of low income and ethnically diverse communities. Despite new efforts to increase public awareness, some populations are still not receiving vital messages clearly and in a timely fashion when a disaster occurs. The recent swine flu pandemic illustrated this continued breach in public messaging systems.

 

“Despite the media blasts and new social marketing and media tools—such as blogs and Twitter—some minority and immigrant populations are still not receiving the message,” said Lorena Rutens, Heartland Human Care Services in Chicago. “We heard from our nonprofit partners that clients were filing through the door misinformed and confused as to how to respond to all of the pandemic warnings. Some of these clients did not have access to television or Internet. Some lacked adequate English skills and reading abilities. What these clients needed was for a trusted authority to give them the facts and tell them how to prepare and respond.”

 

Heartland Human Care Services has served displaced persons since 1888 and began a formal disaster recovery department in 2005, following the Gulf Coast storms. Heartland coordinated citywide disaster recovery work for 10,000 Katrina and Rita evacuees. It was during that disaster recovery work that Heartland became acutely aware of the large gaps in disaster recovery service provision for diverse and low income populations. Based on these past experiences, Rutens observed a potential solution to increase emergency preparedness in minority, refugee, and immigrant populations.

 

“Many outlying populations are disenfranchised, confused or even fearful of traditional government agencies and media,” Rutens said. “To improve upon these mainstream information sources, we need to educate self-identified local community leaders—church pastors, teachers and nonprofits service providers—on disaster preparedness and enhanced emergency communication strategies. Many clients are already engaging with these institutions on a daily basis, so it is only natural that they turn to them as a source of information in times of need or fear.”

 

Rutens suggested that funders should be seeking programs and initiatives that target, educate, and empower local urban underserved communities to become more resilient to disasters and emergencies. Using nontraditional communication channels, agencies and educational institutions can implement “train the trainer” series that promote the unique ability of community leaders to reach multiple diverse audiences. Research based materials should be created, gathered, and culturally formatted to educate underserved and diverse citizens on how to create family preparedness plans. These materials need to be tailored to the appropriate audience and translated if necessary.

 

Rutens concluded that, “unbeknownst to many the American Red Cross is often unable to provide services after 72 hours post disaster. Unprepared low income and minority families can face homelessness due to the many emergency needs after a fire, flooding, and extreme weather events.” By teaching community leaders, they can in turn teach and personally disseminate critical information to their various channels and networks. Diverse, refugee, and minority communities will then be properly informed and ultimately human suffering and tragedy will be reduced.