Household preparedness is not enough: the challenges and opportunities in assessing community readiness for disasters

J Public Health Manag Pract. 2013 Sep-Oct:19 Suppl 2:S70-6. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0b013e318294ea11.

Abstract

The public health community faces numerous challenges in measuring community preparedness and resilience. This study aimed to identify existing measures of partnership, self-sufficiency, and social connectedness, as well as gaps and opportunities in the measurement of community preparedness and resilience. To accomplish these aims, the study team conducted a broad environmental scan to identify a list of possible measures in these areas and then assessed these measures using a set of standard criteria and feedback from key informants. Results suggest that while there is great interest in quantifying community preparedness, existing data have major limitations. There is a need for more measures of organizational and network activity and measures in the area of community engagement and empowerment.

MeSH terms

  • Community Networks*
  • Disaster Planning*
  • Health Surveys
  • Humans
  • Program Evaluation / methods*
  • Safety
  • Self Efficacy
  • Social Networking
  • United States