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Disaster Recovery and Population Health
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Disaster Recovery and Population Health

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 21231

Special Issue Editors

Dr. David M. Abramson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA
Interests: community health; disaster health; disaster impact and recovery; environmental interventions; population health; public health systems; social behaviors; social determinants of health
Prof. Dr. Mark J. VanLandingham

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Interests: population studies; immigrant health; international health; natural disasters; health recovery
Prof. Dr. Mary C. Waters

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Sociology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Interests: sociology; international migration; qualitative analysis; children of immigrants; natural disasters; health recovery

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although the field of public health disaster science has made progress in defining the phenomenon of “disaster recovery” and its health implications since Smith and Wenger first characterized recovery as an under-tilled research field that was “the least understood aspect of emergency management” (Handbook of Disaster Research, 2007), much remains to be learned. This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research in Public Health, co-edited by David Abramson (New York University), Mark VanLandingham (Tulane University), and Mary Waters (Harvard University), will provide the field with an opportunity to review what has been learned about recovery and to consider the gaps to be filled. The editors are interested in original research, systematic reviews, and perspectives and commentaries that focus on methodological and epistemological aspects of individual and population recovery; the determinants and trajectories of long-term recovery, including those factors that mediate or moderate recovery; and systemic factors, as well as policies and practices, that support or inhibit successful recovery.

It has been a decade since FEMA released the US National Disaster Recovery Framework, a guidance document that provided the first organizational structure for federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal recovery efforts, although much of the work has been unfunded. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, over those ten years there have been 146 distinct billion-dollar climate disasters in the United States. Countless communities have been confronted with the challenges of managing a disaster recovery effort while facing new and emerging hazards, including biological and technological threats as well as anthropocentric ones. With each disaster, policy-makers and community leaders speak of “building back better” or of acclimating to a New Normal. This Special Issue will contribute to the evidence base supporting, or refuting, such proclamations.

Among the “sub-themes” that the editors would like contributors to consider are the following, although this should not be regarded as an exhaustive list:

  • The means, methods, and measures of disaster recovery, particularly long-term recovery;
  • The tensions between infrastructure and population recovery—how should funding and effort be prioritized, given the needs to reconstruct and redevelop brick and mortar, as well as the need to attend to health and human service systems and displaced populations?
  • What contributes to population recovery—to what extent is recovery dependent upon individual and household characteristics, to community-level characteristics (and neighborhood effects), to broader systemic and institutional practices and norms?
  • How does the intersection of race, class, and gender influence the speed with which populations recover?
  • Are there certain civic institutions or social conditions that have an “outsize” influence on population recovery—for example, housing stability and educational systems?
  • How is disaster recovery experienced along the life-course? Do children and youth, young adults, and older adults recover in different ways and at different rates? Is each group responsive to different recovery stimuli?
  • How can we incorporate recovery research into emergency management and recovery practices? How can we tie what we have learned among researchers to specific policies?
  • Are there “social determinants of recovery”, similar to social determinants of health? What role does culture play in population recovery?

Dr. David M. Abramson
Prof. Dr. Mark J. VanLandingham
Prof. Dr. Mary C. Waters
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • disaster recovery
  • long-term recovery
  • disaster mental health
  • individual and community resilience
  • health consequences

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3119 KiB  
Article
Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Women’s Mental Health: A Longitudinal Study of Hurricane Katrina Survivors, 2005–2015
by Angela-Maithy Nguyen, Yeerae Kim and David M. Abramson
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 925; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20020925 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3685
Abstract
There is limited knowledge on the relationship between neighborhood factors and mental health among displaced disaster survivors, particularly among women. Hurricane Katrina (Katrina) was the largest internal displacement in the United States (U.S.), which presented itself as a natural experiment. We examined the [...] Read more.
There is limited knowledge on the relationship between neighborhood factors and mental health among displaced disaster survivors, particularly among women. Hurricane Katrina (Katrina) was the largest internal displacement in the United States (U.S.), which presented itself as a natural experiment. We examined the association between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health among women up to 10 years following Katrina (N = 394). We also investigated whether this association was modified by move status, comparing women who were permanently displaced to those who had returned to their pre-Katrina residence. We used hierarchical linear models to measure this association, using data from the American Community Survey and the Gulf Coast Child and Family Health study. Neighborhood SES was created as an index which represented social and economic characteristics of participants’ neighborhoods. Mental health was measured using mental component summary (MCS) scores. Increased neighborhood SES was positively associated with mental health after controlling for age, race/ethnicity, economic positioning, time, and move status (19.6, 95% Confidence Interval: 5.8, 33.7). Neighborhood SES and mental health was also modified by move status. These findings underscore the need to better understand the impacts of socioeconomic conditions and health outcomes among women affected by natural disasters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disaster Recovery and Population Health)
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19 pages, 1786 KiB  
Article
Multiobjective Emergency Resource Allocation under the Natural Disaster Chain with Path Planning
by Feiyue Wang, Ziling Xie, Hui Liu, Zhongwei Pei and Dingli Liu
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7876; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137876 - 27 Jun 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3816
Abstract
Public safety and health cannot be secured without the comprehensive recognition of characteristics and reliable emergency response schemes under the disaster chain. Distinct from emergency resource allocation that focuses primarily on a single disaster, dynamic response, periodic supply, and assisted decision-making are necessary. [...] Read more.
Public safety and health cannot be secured without the comprehensive recognition of characteristics and reliable emergency response schemes under the disaster chain. Distinct from emergency resource allocation that focuses primarily on a single disaster, dynamic response, periodic supply, and assisted decision-making are necessary. Therefore, we propose a multiobjective emergency resource allocation model considering uncertainty under the natural disaster chain. Resource allocation was creatively combined with path planning through the proposed multiobjective cellular genetic algorithm (MOCGA) and the improved A* algorithm with avoidance of unexpected road elements. Furthermore, timeliness, efficiency, and fairness in actual rescue were optimized by MOCGA. The visualization of emergency trips and intelligent avoidance of risk areas were achieved by the improved A* algorithm. The effects of logistics performance, coupling of disaster factors, and government regulation on emergency resource allocation were discussed based on different disaster chain scenarios. The results show that disruption in infrastructure support, cascading effect of disasters, and time urgency are additional environmental challenges. The proposed model and algorithm work in obtaining the optimal solution for potential regional coordination and resilient supply, with a 22.2% increase in the total supply rate. Cooperative allocation complemented by political regulation can be a positive action for successfully responding to disaster chains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disaster Recovery and Population Health)
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18 pages, 1706 KiB  
Article
Effects of Housing Aid on Psychosocial Health after a Disaster
by Maria M. Laurito, Elizabeth Frankenberg and Duncan Thomas
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7302; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127302 - 14 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2378
Abstract
Little is known about whether the provision of aid in the aftermath of a large-scale natural disaster affects psychological well-being. We investigate the effects of housing assistance, a key element of the reconstruction program implemented after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Population-representative individual-level [...] Read more.
Little is known about whether the provision of aid in the aftermath of a large-scale natural disaster affects psychological well-being. We investigate the effects of housing assistance, a key element of the reconstruction program implemented after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Population-representative individual-level longitudinal data collected in Aceh, Indonesia, during the decade after the tsunami as part of the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR) are used. Housing aid was targeted to people whose homes were destroyed and, to a lesser extent, damaged by the tsunami and to those who lived, at the time of the tsunami, in communities that sustained the greatest damage. The effects of receipt of aid on post-traumatic stress reactivity (PTSR) are examined using panel data models that take into account observed and unobserved individual-specific fixed characteristics that affect both PTSR and aid receipt, drawing comparisons in each survey wave between individuals who had been living in the same kecamatan when the tsunami hit. Those who received aid have better psychological health; the effects increase with time since aid receipt and are the greatest at two years or longer after the receipt. The effects are concentrated among those whose homes were destroyed in the tsunami. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disaster Recovery and Population Health)
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8 pages, 4071 KiB  
Communication
Working with Disaster-Affected Communities to Envision Healthier Futures: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Post-Disaster Recovery Planning
by Heather Rosenberg, Nicole A. Errett and David P. Eisenman
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1723; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031723 - 2 Feb 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6898
Abstract
Disasters are becoming increasingly common and devastating, requiring extensive reconstruction and recovery efforts. At the same time, the level of available resources and the need to rebuild can present opportunities for more resilient land use and infrastructure, and to build healthier, more equitable [...] Read more.
Disasters are becoming increasingly common and devastating, requiring extensive reconstruction and recovery efforts. At the same time, the level of available resources and the need to rebuild can present opportunities for more resilient land use and infrastructure, and to build healthier, more equitable and sustainable communities. However, disaster-affected individuals may experience trauma and mental health impacts that impede their ability to engage in long-range recovery planning. It is essential to consider and address community trauma when engaging with disaster-affected communities and in developing plans for recovery. Planners and engineers from outside the community (including public, private and non-profit practitioners) are often brought in to support long-term recovery. Most of these practitioners (particularly those focused on longer-range recovery) have no training in how disasters can affect mental health or what this could mean for their interactions with individuals or communities. In order to acknowledge and address disaster trauma in community recovery and redevelopment, we propose a trauma-informed approach which aims to provide practitioners supporting post-disaster community recovery planning guidance, in order to: avoid the causation of harm by re-traumatizing communities; better understand community needs; make sense of observed behaviors and avoid potential roadblocks; avoid becoming traumatized themselves; and facilitate community healing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disaster Recovery and Population Health)
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17 pages, 407 KiB  
Perspective
Fast Methods for Drug Approval: Research Perspectives for Pandemic Preparedness
by Ahmad Yaman Abdin, Francesco De Pretis and Jürgen Landes
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2404; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032404 - 29 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2718
Abstract
Public heath emergencies such as the outbreak of novel infectious diseases represent a major challenge for drug regulatory bodies, practitioners, and scientific communities. In such critical situations drug regulators and public health practitioners base their decisions on evidence generated and synthesised by scientists. [...] Read more.
Public heath emergencies such as the outbreak of novel infectious diseases represent a major challenge for drug regulatory bodies, practitioners, and scientific communities. In such critical situations drug regulators and public health practitioners base their decisions on evidence generated and synthesised by scientists. The urgency and novelty of the situation create high levels of uncertainty concerning the safety and effectiveness of drugs. One key tool to mitigate such emergencies is pandemic preparedness. There seems to be, however, a lack of scholarly work on methodology for assessments of new or existing drugs during a pandemic. Issues related to risk attitudes, evidence production and evidence synthesis for drug approval require closer attention. This manuscript, therefore, engages in a conceptual analysis of relevant issues of drug assessment during a pandemic. To this end, we rely in our analysis on recent discussions in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of medicine. Important unanswered foundational questions are identified and possible ways to answer them are considered. Similar problems often have similar solutions, hence studying similar situations can provide important clues. We consider drug assessments of orphan drugs and drug assessments during endemics as similar to drug assessment during a pandemic. Furthermore, other scientific fields which cannot carry out controlled experiments may guide the methodology to draw defeasible causal inferences from imperfect data. Future contributions on methodologies for addressing the issues raised here will indeed have great potential to improve pandemic preparedness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disaster Recovery and Population Health)
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