Using Data to Prepare For & Recover From Natural Disasters

With natural disasters and sea levels on the rise, cities across the country are rushing to be better prepared. Leaders in emergency management are charged with preventing harm, saving lives, protecting property from damage, and building stronger communities. In order to develop resilience, each community must evaluate their vulnerability and adjust their adaptive capacity. How can a community become more resilient in the wake of or in preparation for a disaster? Start leaning on data.

Preparation and Response

Data analysis can be used to prepare for and recover from disaster by helping emergency planners and response teams quickly understand and evaluate evacuation zones, identify vulnerable populations for proper resource allocation, and assess damage after an event. When crisis strikes, numbers matter. Being able to make fast, informed decisions on behalf of the entire community is paramount to its recovery and survival.

Data can elevate a community’s emergency preparedness plans by providing a complete and easy-to-understand common operating picture and, in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, help answer critical questions like:

• Where are vulnerable populations that will require more responders?
• What is the makeup of the area directly impacted by the damage?
• What will happen to the local economy?
• How can homeowners and business owners cope with a loss of property?
• What kind of industries are hurt, which jobs are lost, and where might jobs be created?

Two Types of Data in Support of Disaster Planning and Response

Understanding the impact that a disaster may have on a place’s people, property, and economy is a first step in outlining a disaster preparedness and response plan. Access to types of data that can be interpreted quickly using simple data analysis tools ensures that the minutes, hours, and days that follow any disaster will be used as efficiently as possible to protect lives and minimize economic losses.

A basic assessment of a place’s demographic and economic makeup using simple data analysis tools lays the groundwork for all types of disaster readiness.

Assess the threat that disasters and crises have on your residents

When preparing for or responding to a disaster, it is necessary to understand the impact on the whole community and determine where residents will be disproportionately affected. This helps emergency managers and their teams make more informed decisions for resource allocation and on-the-ground activities. It also ensures that leaders are communicating accurate information to the public and media.

FEMA’s Comprehensive Preparedness Guide recommends creating an informed estimate of the number and types of individuals with disabilities as well as others who have access and functional needs.

Identify Vulnerable Populations

Simply put, knowing where to allocate resources that are already stretched thin during a disaster saves lives. Using data to identify and anticipate the needs of highly concentrated vulnerable populations in advance, will ensure that the right resources are being sent to the right places.

Community Example: During Hurricane Katrina, almost 5,000 children were separated from their families and 75 percent of all deaths in New Orleans occurred among the elderly, who represented only 15 percent of the city’s total population before the storm. Of the 240 shelters surveyed in the region, less than 30 percent had access to American Sign Language interpreters, leaving those who were deaf or hard of hearing with little or no access to vital information. (Source: Association of Schools of Public Health)

Below is a map outlining areas where there are high concentrations of vulnerable residents in New Orleans today. These are areas where more than 15 percent of the population is over the age of 65 and/or suffers from a disability. The types of disability and age totals are visible in the charts next to the map.

Even the most basic data, when analyzed correctly, can offer key insight and help solve big problems. Making sense of the information below and having it ready in advance can help quickly answer vital questions:

• Total Population (How many people do we need to evacuate?)
• Residents with a Disability (Are there sign language experts on hand to help communicate with hearing impaired residents? Do we have handicap accessible vehicles and shelters ready to receive these residents?)
• Total Population Age 65 and Over (Is this population safe and, if not, how do we move residents and best accommodate their needs?)
• Total Population Under Age 18 (How can we ensure that families do not get separated? How do we work with schools to prevent chaos during a daytime disaster?)
• Primary Language Other than English (Where should we dispatch Spanish-speaking emergency response teams?)

Identify Vulnerable (and Important) Places

In addition to vulnerable populations, there are vulnerable (and important) places, including those that shelter large populations, like schools, nursing homes, prisons, and stadiums; those that house hazardous materials, like gas stations and chemical plants; and those that provide important, critical services, like power stations and hospitals.

Community Example: During Hurricane Katrina, nearly all of the 280 nursing homes in Louisiana remained full despite the calls for evacuation and led to the death of 215 residents. Over half of the deaths that occurred during Katrina were residents over the age of 74. Also noteworthy, “the region struck by Katrina is home to a large number of oil refineries and chemical plants. Following the storm, the U.S. Coast Guard reported numerous oil spills from refineries and tank farms in South Louisiana. A story in the September 30 Boston Globe reported that Katrina damaged 140 oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, 43 seriously, including some that floated away or sank.” (Source: Association of Schools of Public Health)

The map below includes the same vulnerable populations as before, but with point data that identifies schools in the area. During a daytime evacuation or emergency, these are specific locations that would require a very specific strategy — how does the community keep families united and move thousands of students to safety?

Identifying vulnerable and important areas in advance gives response teams critical information about what places could compound disaster conditions and what critical services could be threatened. Below is a list provided by FEMA to use as a starting point for emergency preparedness planners to guide assembly of this information:

• Utility providers
• Social services listings (e.g., dialysis centers, Meals on Wheels)
• Congregate settings (e.g., nursing homes, summer camps)
• Paratransit providers
• Schools and universities
• Bureau of motor vehicles (accessible parking permit holders)
• Centers for Independent Living
• Hospitals
• Home health agencies
• Daycare centers (for children or senior citizens)
• Vocational rehabilitation and job access services
• Places of worship
• Disability services providers
• Homeless shelters
• Health or behavioral health agencies

As recommended in the FEMA guide,

“Together [lists of vulnerable populations and places], can provide raw numbers vital to understanding the magnitude of the community’s requirements.”

Assess the impact that a disaster will have on jobs, property and services

The road to recovery after a disaster can be long and often times leaves a lingering footprint in a community.

In the Economics of Natural Disasters, author Kevin Kliesen puts it like this: “Some natural disasters, like tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes, tend to be short-lived events, lasting several seconds to a few hours, but causing substantial destruction in a concentrated area. Others, like droughts or major floods, tend to be of a longer duration, spreading their damaging effects over a relatively larger expanse for days or weeks. Any type of disaster, however, can leave an economic imprint that lingers for years.”

According to Kliesen, the devastation of a disaster depends on the:

• Magnitude and duration of the event
• Structure of the local economy
• Geographical area affected
• Population base
• Time of day it occurs

Economic data is something communities can have access to before an event occurs. The fundamental questions, whether they are addressed before or after an event, remain the same: In the aftermath of a disaster, what happens to the local economy? How do homeowners and business owners cope with a loss of property? What industries are hurt, which jobs are lost, and where might more jobs be created?

Data, when prepared in advance, can be used to assess damages, request support (like recovery funds in the case of a presidentially declared disaster), and track recovery. It may also guide rebuilding phases and pinpoint weaker areas before an event occurs.

The problem with economic data is that there is a lot of it and calculations can be difficult. Disaster Planning for Economic Recovery published by Restore Your Economy, says, to the extent possible, an economic damage assessment should include the information:

• Tax revenue loss (sales, property, employment)
• Job loss
• Loss of wages
• Business closures and interruption (loss of productivity)
• Damage to infrastructure
• Damage to property (commercial, industrial, residential)
• Damage to natural resources (which have an impact on local industries)

Community Example: ABC coverage of Katrina one year after the event reported that New Orleans lost 190,000 jobs and employment fell by more than 30 percent from August 2005 to December 2005. Statewide, Louisiana lost 214,000 jobs, or 12 percent of the state’s total. Because of the combined loss of jobs and property, homeowners stopped paying their mortgages, and their loans quickly became delinquent. The impact of the storm was devastating.

Below is a map illustrating percent change in jobs from 2003 to 2013 in New Orleans (Hurricane Katrina occurred in August 2005). One census tract reflects a 2,650 percent change. In the charts below the map, historical data is used to compare changes in industry before the event and post-recovery.

Change in Jobs by Industry from 2003 to 2013 in New Orleans, LA (Red indicates job loss)

Here are some basic data sets that, when analyzed, will help answer questions regarding a community’s economic resiliency and calculate possible damages early on:

• Median Household Income (What’s the average income for most families in the community and, if a disaster strikes, how many would be impacted? Do low-income communities need more assistance after an event occurs?)
• Jobs by Industry (What types of industries will be impacted by what kinds of disaster? What type of disaster would be devastating? Is there an industry our community relies on most? If so, how can we strengthen it to recover faster?)
• Owner vs. Renter Occupied Housing (Does the majority of this community own property and if they do, what kind of damages can we expect in the wake of different disasters?)
• Home Values (Where can we anticipate a decline in property values after a disaster?)

Calculating the economic impact a disaster has had or may have on a community is complicated. However, using data to supplement some of the most basic information doesn’t have to be. Simple data analysis allows community leadership to connect locations, residents, and numbers in one space to stay focused in their relief (and preparedness) efforts.

Resilience Begins with Data

Disaster planning and response requires good data to help protect and save lives. Different disaster and crisis scenarios can and should be planned for, but no crisis can be perfectly predicted. In the first moments of response, timeliness of information and effectiveness of information sharing is paramount. With tools like mySidewalk that are able to provide quick, local insights, emergency planners and responders will save crucial minutes that can help them facilitate safe and effective responses to crises.

Do you have the data you need to protect your residents during a disaster? Request a free assessment here.

This piece was a collaborative effort of the following mySidewalk team members who write, inform the product, and work closely with our valued clients:

Stephen Hardy–Chief Product Officer and former Director of Planning at BNIM

Brian Parr — Geospatial Project Developer

Lauren Nguyen — Marketing & Events Manager

Jennifer Funk–Product Marketing Specialist (and expert editor)

Michelle Stockwell–Content Intern