Rural Community Disaster Preparedness: Developing a Plan

Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA

Objective. The purpose of this study was to analyze the unique challenges rural communities face, examine current disaster preparedness protocols, and identify areas of improvement for future disaster preparedness planning in rural communities. Background. Rural communities face unique threats as compared to urban communities in regard to disaster preparedness planning. There are several needs that are overlooked in these communities due to resource limitations and geographic distribution. The goal of this study is to expand knowledge regarding effective disaster preparedness planning efforts so that community resiliency may be maximized during times of catastrophe. Methods. The information upon which this synthesis is based was gathered by a comprehensive search of peer-reviewed journals and public websites based on a wide range of key terms including ‘rural community’ ‘preparedness planning’ and ‘disaster protocols.’ Results. It was found that rural communities face exclusive economic threats and are home to vulnerable populations that need to be considered when developing disaster response plans. The vast geographic coverage, demographic diversity, and resource limitations are identified barriers. Also, the potential influence of urban communities on rural communities during a disaster is an additional exacerbation to consider with disaster response planning. Conclusion. Rural communities lack resources compared to urban communities posing unique disadvantages when it comes to preparedness efforts. It is important to analyze and expand our knowledge about these challenges in order to overcome them so that recovery potential in a post-disaster state is optimized. Grants. No special funding was used to generate this review.