Flood Relief Services Not Used By Many Victims

Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Also Included In: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 08 Jul 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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This summer, as the Midwest suffers from severe flooding, a new study finds that most flood victims do not utilize available disaster relief services. An accompanying editorial suggest that the findings can help agencies such as the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) to better distribute relief resources. The study and editorial are published in the latest issue of the American Medical Association (AMA) Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal.

"Floods are the most common type of disaster in the United States and among the most deadly worldwide," said Jim P. Stimpson, PhD, University of North Texas Health Science Center. "Victims may have the resources to cope with one flood using family support, insurance or personal savings, but additional floods tap into an increasingly lower supply of resources until individuals may have no other recourse other than to seek external assistance."

The study, "Seeking Help for Disaster Services After a Flood," measured how the frequency of exposure to a flood is associated with the probability of seeking help from a disaster related service agency. Around three-quarters of flood victims who experience a flood or floods never seek help. The number of those who do seek help rises slightly as the number of floods they experience increases.

The study also looked at the population characteristics of individuals most likely to seek help. It found that racial and ethnic minorities, rural residents, individuals experiencing economic hardship, and those with low levels of perceived social support are more inclined to seek help. The study looked at prospective cohort data for 1,735 respondents of the Iowa Health Poll following the Great Flood of 1993.

According to the editorial, the evidence indicates that disaster planners must make more pointed efforts to reduce barriers to accessing recovery services. A potential tactic is to expand partnerships with community organizations, such as faith-based organizations, to help bring resources to victims. Another is to address transportation and communication issues that may preclude some individuals from seeking aid.

"The mere availability of response and recovery services will not help if victims are unable to use them," said lead editorial author Italo Subbarao, DO, MBA. "The study findings must be considered when formulating future disaster response plans to engage the public in pre- and post-event outreach activities."

This article is available ahead of print at the journal's Web site and the full journal will publish on Oct. 9, 2008. There will be a special issue published on Sept. 9, 2008.

About AMA's Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness Journal

The AMA Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness journal was created to promote public health preparedness and the science of disaster medicine. It is the first comprehensive, peer-reviewed publication emphasizing public health preparedness and disaster response. The journal is published for the AMA by leading health care publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. An online version can be found on the Web and is also available on the Journals@Ovid platform.

American Medical Association