From Disaster Response to Community Recovery: Nongovernmental Entities, Government, and Public Health.
Am J Public Health
; 109(3): 437-444, 2019 03.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30676804
ABSTRACT
In this article, we examine the role of nongovernmental entities (NGEs; nonprofits, religious groups, and businesses) in disaster response and recovery. Although media reports and the existing scholarly literature focus heavily on the role of governments, NGEs provide critical services related to public safety and public health after disasters. NGEs are crucial because of their ability to quickly provide services, their flexibility, and their unique capacity to reach marginalized populations. To examine the role of NGEs, we surveyed 115 NGEs engaged in disaster response. We also conducted extensive field work, completing 44 hours of semistructured interviews with staff from NGEs and government agencies in postdisaster areas in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, Northern California, and Southern California. Finally, we compiled quantitative data on the distribution of nonprofit organizations. We found that, in addition to high levels of variation in NGE resources across counties, NGEs face serious coordination and service delivery problems. Federal funding for expanding the capacity of local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster groups, we suggest, would help NGEs and government to coordinate response efforts and ensure that recoveries better address underlying social and economic vulnerabilities.
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Organizaciones sin Fines de Lucro
/
Salud Pública
/
Desastres
/
Agencias Gubernamentales
/
Desastres Naturales
Tipo de estudio:
Qualitative_research
País como asunto:
America do norte
/
Caribe
/
Puerto rico
Idioma:
En
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article