Compounding Disasters in Gulf Coast Communities 2020-2021

National Academies Of Sciences, Engineering, And Medicine; Gulf Research Program; Gulf Health And Resilience Board; Committee On Compounding Disasters In Gulf Coast Communities, 2020-2021: Impacts, Findings, And Lessons Learned

ISBN 10: 0309707161 / ISBN 13: 9780309707169

Published by National Academies Press, US, 2024

About this Item

Experiencing a single disaster - a hurricane, tornado, flood, severe winter storm, or a global pandemic - can wreak havoc on the lives and livelihoods of individuals, families, communities and entire regions. For many people who live in communities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region, the reality of disaster is starker. Endemic socioeconomic and health disparities have made many living in Gulf of Mexico communities particularly vulnerable to the effects of weather-climate hazards. Prolonged disaster recovery and increasing disaster risk is an enduring reality for many living in Gulf of Mexico communities. Between 2020 and 2021, seven major hurricanes and a severe winter storm affected communities across the region. As a backdrop to these acute weather events, the global COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding, producing a complex and unprecedented public health and socioeconomic crisis.Traditionally, the impacts of disasters are quantified individually and often in economic terms of property damage and loss. In this case, each of these major events occurring in the Gulf of Mexico during this time period subsequently earned the moniker of "billion-dollar" disaster. However, this characterization does not reflect the non-financial human toll and disparate effects caused by multiple disruptive events that increase underlying physical and social vulnerabilities, reduce adaptive capacities and ultimately make communities more sensitive to the effects of future disruptive events. This report explores the interconnections, impacts, and lessons learned of compounding disasters that impair resilience, response, and recovery efforts. While Compounding Disasters in Gulf Coast Communities, 2020-2021 focuses on the Gulf of Mexico region, its findings apply to any region that has similar vulnerabilities and that is frequently at risk for disasters.Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Introduction2 Hazards, Exposure, Vulnerabilities, and Disaster Risk in the Gulf of Mexico Region3 Compounding Disasters in the Gulf of Mexico Region: 202020214 Interdependent Systems in the Context of Compounding Disasters5 Lessons Learned6 Conclusions: Reducing Compounding Disaster Risk by Addressing Vulnerabilities and Exposure and Building Adaptive CapacitiesReferencesAppendix A: GlossaryAppendix B: Public Session Meeting AgendasAppendix C: Commissioned Paper AbstractsAppendix D: Committee Member and Staff Biographical Sketches.

Seller Inventory # LU-9780309707169

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Compounding Disasters in Gulf Coast Communities 2020-2021
• Publisher: National Academies Press, US
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0309707161
• ISBN 13: 9780309707169
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Experiencing a single disaster - a hurricane, tornado, flood, severe winter storm, or a global pandemic - can wreak havoc on the lives and livelihoods of individuals, families, communities and entire regions. For many people who live in communities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region, the reality of disaster is starker. Endemic socioeconomic and health disparities have made many living in Gulf of Mexico communities particularly vulnerable to the effects of weather-climate hazards. Prolonged disaster recovery and increasing disaster risk is an enduring reality for many living in Gulf of Mexico communities. Between 2020 and 2021, seven major hurricanes and a severe winter storm affected communities across the region. As a backdrop to these acute weather events, the global COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding, producing a complex and unprecedented public health and socioeconomic crisis.

Traditionally, the impacts of disasters are quantified individually and often in economic terms of property damage and loss. In this case, each of these major events occurring in the Gulf of Mexico during this time period subsequently earned the moniker of "billion-dollar" disaster. However, this characterization does not reflect the non-financial human toll and disparate effects caused by multiple disruptive events that increase underlying physical and social vulnerabilities, reduce adaptive capacities and ultimately make communities more sensitive to the effects of future disruptive events. This report explores the interconnections, impacts, and lessons learned of compounding disasters that impair resilience, response, and recovery efforts. While Compounding Disasters in Gulf Coast Communities, 2020-2021 focuses on the Gulf of Mexico region, its findings apply to any region that has similar vulnerabilities and that is frequently at risk for disasters.