Research Counts

U.S. emergency management has become largely defined through a security framework, which has stalled its development and identity as a distinct profession. The field has an opportunity to evolve by infusing a humanitarian ethos into the profession.

When public housing residents are excluded from the systems meant to protect them, disaster response becomes a site of inequity. Residents experiences point to an urgent need for structural change and clear opportunities for more accessible, equitable, and compassionate forms of preparedness and response.

Historic African American cemeteries often exist in an active state of recovery long before disasters happen. Proactive documentation and preservation must be central to hazard mitigation planning for these vital cultural landscapes.

After successive hurricanes in North Carolina, many expectant mothers went to emergency departments for mental healthcare. Yet mothers from predominantly Black communities sought this support less frequently. A new approach is needed to understand the layered barriers that influence Black mothers' experiences at the intersection of motherhood, mental health, structural racism, and disasters.

For many places in the United States, there is an imbalance between available water supply and human demand. Tools that help water managers and users to understand and correct this imbalance can help to build drought resilience for at-risk communities.

Falling space debris is an emerging threat that can affect communities worldwide. Yet this threat is largely a preparedness blind spot. There's a need for emergency managers to recognize resource gaps and opportunities for readying communities for the potential impacts of natural and human-made space hazards.

Rural, under-resourced communities across Texas are increasingly faced with complex flood hazards, but many lack the data and tools they need to prepare for weather extremes. Novel approaches to community engagement and providing technical assistance can help advance flood resilience.

Despite recent efforts to expand Spanish-language weather information, many Spanish-speaking residents in Tampa Bay felt unprepared for Hurricane Milton. Effective weather risk communication must go beyond translation alone, to address the cultural context, prior experiences, and barriers that shape diverse people’s understanding and actions during extreme weather events.

Climate vulnerability maps developed by the U.S. government are designed to identify places that will benefit most from federal investments in climate resilience. Yet high-need, low-capacity communities across the country are being left behind.

Cross-sector partnerships and meaningful engagement with survivors are essential to the success of community-based organizations working for equitable and sustainable disaster recovery.