Social Vulnerability and Perceptions of Recovery from the 2011 Tuscaloosa Tornado

• Published in: Southeastern geographer 2018-12, Vol.58 (4), p.328-347
• Main Authors: BRIGHT, CANDACE FORBES, SAYRE, EDWARD, HANKS, ROMA, BAGLEY, BRADEN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alabama; Casualties; Census of Population; Climate change; Demographic variables; Demographics; Disaster recovery; Disaster relief; Disasters; Economic aspects; Education; Environmental hazards; Fatalities; Government regulation; Hazards; Laws, regulations and rules; Mathematical models; Mental health; Minority & ethnic groups; Natural disasters; PART I: PAPERS; Post-disaster reconstruction; Race; Social aspects; Social capital; Social factors; Social networks; Social organization; Statistical analysis; Temporal perception; Tornadoes
• ISSN: 0038-366X; 1549-6929; 1549-6929
• DOI: 10.1353/sgo.2018.0034

Environmental hazards and natural disasters disproportionately affect socially vulnerable individuals and communities. However, studies of social vulnerability are often limited to socio-demographic measures of sensitivity to disaster impact without controlling for the effect of social networks on response capabilities. This paper assesses the role of socio-demographic and social network variables when controlling for the preparation for and impact of a disaster using the 2011 Tuscaloosa tornado as a case study. Using the results of a random digit dialing survey of individuals impacted by the Tuscaloosa tornado (n = 115), we model the factors of personal recovery from the disaster. We find that race, age, and education significantly affected one’s perceived recovery from the tornado; however, exclusive of religious attendance, social network variables did not affect recovery perception. Time to recovery or to reach their personal “new normal” was longer for older respondents. Moreover, race and education, while statistically significant in degree of recovery, were not factors in speed of recovery. Social capital measures of recovery were consistent for degree and speed, further confirming that further investigation is needed into the role of religious involvement in both degree and speed of recovery. Los peligros ambientales y los desastres naturales afectan de manera desproporcionada a las personas y las comunidades socialmente vulnerables. Sin embargo, los estudios de la vulnerabilidad social suelen ser limitadas a medidas sociodemográficas de sensibilidad al impacto de los desastres sin controlar el efecto de las redes sociales en las capacidades de respuesta. Este ensayo evalúa el papel de las variables sociodemográficas y de las redes sociales controlando la preparación y el impacto de un desastre utilizando el tornado Tuscaloosa del 2011 como un caso de estudio. Usando los resultados de una encuesta de marcado de dígitos aleatorios de individuos afectados por el tornado de Tuscaloosa (n = 115), modelamos los factores de recuperación personal del desastre. Encontramos que la raza, la edad y la educación afectaron mucho la percepción de la recuperación del tornado; sin embargo, excluyendo la asistencia religiosa, las variables de las redes sociales no afectaron la percepción de recuperación. El tiempo de recuperación o de alcanzar su “nueva normalidad” personal fue más largo para los encuestados de mayor edad. Además, la raza y la educación, aunque est