Planning for Community Resilience: A Handbook for Reducing Vulnerability to Disasters

255 Pages·2014·4.824 MB·English

by  Dr. Jaimie Hicks Masterson, Walter Gillis Peacock, Shannon S. Van Zandt, Himanshu Grover, Lori Feild Schwarz, John T. Cooper Jr. (auth.)

PLANNING
for
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE
A H r
Andbook for educing
V d
ulnerAbility to isAsters
Jaimie Hicks Masterson
Walter Gillis Peacock
Shannon S. Van Zandt
Himanshu Grover
Lori Feild Schwarz
John T. Cooper, Jr.

Planning for Community Resilience

Planning for
Community Resilience:
A Handbook for Reducing
Vulnerability to Disasters
By Jaimie Hicks Masterson, Walter Gillis Peacock,
Shannon S. Van Zandt, Himanshu Grover,
Lori Feild Schwarz, and John T. Cooper Jr.
Washington | Covelo | London
Copyright © 2014 Jaimie Hicks Masterson, Walter Gillis Peacock, Shannon S. Van Zandt,
Himanshu Grover, Lori Feild Schwarz, and John T. Cooper Jr.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part
of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing
from the publisher: Island Press, 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20036
Island Press is a trademark of The Center for Resource Economics.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014941999
Printed on recycled, acid-free paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Keywords: climatological events; community planning; disaster recovery; floodplain
management; Galveston, Texas; geophysical events; hazard exposure; hazard mitigation
planning; Hurricane Ike; hydrological events; land use planning; long-term recovery;
meteorological events; natural hazard management; participatory planning; physical
vulnerability; social vulnerability
Contents
Acknowledgments......................................................... ix
PART I. COMMUNITY RESILIENCE.......................................... 1
Chapter 1: The New Era of Catastrophes...................................... 5
Chapter 2: What Is Resilience? ............................................ 25
Chapter 3: Organizing and Connecting through the Disaster Phases .............. 41
PART II. KNOWING YOUR COMMUNITY ................................... 69
Chapter 4: Assessing Hazard Exposure ...................................... 71
Chapter 5: Assessing Physical Vulnerability .................................. 83
Chapter 6: Assessing Social Vulnerability .................................... 97
PART III. PLANNING STRATEGIES ........................................ 113
Chapter 7: An Assessment of Hazard Mitigation Plans......................... 117
Chapter 8: Planner’s Toolbox............................................. 139
Chapter 9: Striving for Consistency ....................................... 167
Chapter 10: Conclusion................................................. 183
Appendix............................................................. 187
Notes................................................................ 209
Bibliography........................................................... 221
About the Authors ...................................................... 233
Index................................................................ 235

Acknowledgments
The devastation on Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula after Hurricane Ike in 2008
has truly changed the lives of researchers and students involved in the projects at the
Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center at Texas A&M University. Our interactions with
residents and survivors were remarkable and telling of the resilient spirit of the people. To
those who welcomed us into your homes despite the impacts and trauma you faced, we
will always be honored to have met you. We raise our glass to the warm southern, Texan,
and islander character of Galvestonians.
Thank you also to the City of Galveston staff members who were instrumental in
helping us conduct research after the storm.
We also recognize all those involved in the projects and those who collected sur-
vey data in Galveston despite rough conditions in the field. Student research played an
invaluable role and has certainly enriched the field. Specifically, Rahmawati Husein, Jun-
Eung Kang, Gabriel Burns, Dustin Henry, Amie Hufton, and Joshua Gunn are all future
giants of disaster planning.
The Texas Coastal Planning Atlas—a vision once dreamt over drinks at our favorite
spot—became a reality before Hurricane Ike. A part of that vision has been fulfilled in the
pages of this book. A special thanks to all those who worked alongside us to envision and
create the website, particularly Doug Wunneburger, Sam Brody, and Wes Highfield.
We are also grateful to the funders of our research after Hurricane Ike; without their
support this book would not have been possible. The research described was supported by
two grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (#0928926 and #0901605) and
from a series of grants funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) (#NA10NOS4190207 and #NA07NOS4730147), the Texas General Land Office
(TGLO) (#11-025-000-4323), and the Coastal Coordination Council (CCC). The authors,
ix
x Acknowledgments
and not the NSF, NOAA, TGLO, or the CCC, are responsible for the findings and opinions
expressed in this book.
We also appreciate the support of the American Planning Association’s Planner’s
Training Service in developing the two-day workshop. The content and curriculum of
that workshop were the main evolutionary acts that spurred the writing of these pages.
Finally, we thank those who helped us compile the book, specifically Michelle Meyer,
Chi Ying Huang, Katherine Barbour, and Andrew Wallick.