Emergency

Planning and

Vulnerability

Assessment

Environmental Studies 698

Capstone Project

Fall 2012

1

Research Teams

• Dr. Elizabeth Shay and Brian Miller

• Fayetteville Team

o Sarah Giles

o Sam Helton

o Haley McLoud

o Colleen Murphy

o Hayley Vatcher

• Cabarrus County Team

o Dylan Greenleaf

o Brian Lee

o Ashley McClelland

o Annie Segal

Outline

• Project Description

• Methods

• Two study sites o Fayetteville

o Cabarrus County

• Wrap-Up

• Acknowledgements

http://www.cabarruscounty.us/governme

nt/departments/fair/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.fayettevillenc.biz/all_businesses.p

hp

2

Project Description

• Our project

• What does "hazard

mitigation" mean?

• Overall goal

http://www.mdcinc.org/sites/default/files/resources/Comm

unity%20Based%20Vulnerability%20Assessment.pdf 3

Methods

In Fayetteville & Cabarrus County:

• Vulnerability and preparedness assessment

• Presentations at local meetings

• Key informant interviews

In Cabarrus County:

• Cabarrus county citizen survey

• Shelter visits

4

Fayetteville: City Profile

• In Sandhills of North Carolina

• Located on Cape Fear River

• Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base

• Current population: 200,564

http://www.fayettevillecommercialrealestate.com/ 5

Fayetteville: Vulnerability Analysis

• Fort Bragg and public assumptions

• Infrastructure challenges

• Dynamic homeless population

• Special pet shelters

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_Bragg_entrance_

sign.jpg

http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues/JulAug03/

coscom_gets_equipment.htm 6

Fayetteville: Maps

• Basemap

• Critical

Facilities

• Tornado

Paths

7

Fayetteville Basemap

8

Fayetteville Critical Facilities

9

10

Tornado Path From April 16, 2011

Fayetteville: Recommendations

• Household survey

• Improving enrollment for emergency alert system

• Correcting public perception of military aid

• Improving communication with:

o The homeless

o The medically disabled

o The non-English speaking

11

Cabarrus County

• County Profile

• Discussion of findings o emergency planning:

vulnerability and preparedness assessment

interviews

public meeting

o disaster preparedness citizen survey

o emergency shelter visits

• Recommendations

12

Cabarrus County: Profile

• Population: 178,011

• Located in Piedmont of North Carolina

• Textiles, gold mine

• Attractions: NASCAR, Charlotte Motor

Speedway, Concord Mills

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_North_

Carolina_highlighting_Cabarrus_County.svg

13

14

Cabarrus County:

Vulnerability Analysis

• Vulnerability assessment o Age, language barrier, mobility, resource

o Compared to NC: average

• Interviews o Elderly

o Non-English speaking

• Public meeting o Flooding

o Emergency planning and operations

Cabarrus County:

Vulnerable Areas & Critical Facilities

Cabarrus County: Citizen Survey

• Preliminary results - raw data from 171

household surveys (more to be completed) o 4.7%: no car

o 11.1%: person with a disability

o 36.3%: have plan for evacuation

o 43.3%: have emergency supply kit

o Concerns: hurricanes, winter storms and

drought/heat waves

• More complete analysis to come next spring

15

16

Shelter Visits

• Duplin County o Rural

o County-managed shelters

o All schools

• Cabarrus County o Less rural

o County/Red Cross partnership

o Schools, Boys and Girls Club, churches, and county

convention center

Shelter Visits

• Recommendations to improve Shelter

Accessibility and Livability Tool (SALT)

17

Cabarrus County: Recommendations

• Enhance communication between key

shareholders

• Reconcile conflicting priorities

• Efforts to increase accessibility o Elderly, Non-English Speaking, "Resilient" Populations

• Speedway: highlight stand-alone plan, unique

challenges

18

Wrap-Up

• Two different areas

• Deep expertise and professional commitment

• Local conditions matter

19

Acknowledgements

Dr. Elizabeth Shay

Brian Miller

City of Fayetteville

Cumberland County

Scott Bullard

Fayetteville Local Emergency Planning Committee

Bobby Smith

Cabarrus County Local Emergency Planning Committee

Red Cross

Duplin County officials

20