Major disasters are taking an ever-increasing toll on American
communities. To cope with this growing problem, Benton County is
seeking to adopt an alternative approach known as Community-
Based Emergency Preparedness. Its goal is to improve collaboration
among governmental agencies and the public to gain greater
flexibility in decision-making and implementation. Increased
community participation is intended to produce not only improved
emergency readiness, but also preparations in the home, school, and
workplace to reduce the effects of disaster when it strikes.
This case study describes strategies Benton County officials
have used to involve citizens in planning and preparing for disasters
during a twelve-month period from April, 1994 to April, 1995. A
recently formed citizen-initiated community coalition meets
regularly to organize public education forums and emergency
exercises. This is different from the past, when disaster planning
was undertaken only by professionals and specialists who tended to
leave the public out of the process. Public, private, and volunteer
groups at the community level are now seeking to create a dynamic
disaster planning process that reflects community values and
accountability. Included in this case study is the development of digital maps of multiple hazards to aid experts in communicating risks to the public. Disaster planning is complicated because the community and the experts perceive risks differently. To facilitate the program in a systematic fashion, six process characteristics have been identified. Because this approach is new, the process of disaster planning is still under development. / Graduation date: 1996
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/36342 |
| Date | 08 June 1995 |
| Creators | Kinney, Colleen M. |
| Contributors | Davenport, Sally |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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