Natural Hazards Center || Introduction: Equity and Inclusion in Disasters

Introduction: Equity and Inclusion in Disasters

Farmer distraught over fire that has burned his farm.

Farmer distraught over fire that has burned his farm. Source: Vecteezy.com

By Nnenia Campbell, Lori Peek, and Anna Canny

Disasters have long been characterized by the media, elected officials, and members of the public as “acts of nature” or “acts of God.” Such depictions are rooted in the idea that disasters are external to social systems, rather than a reflection of society itself.

More than 50 years of scholarship on social inequality in disaster has challenged this idea. A vast body of evidence underscores that disasters almost always lead to disproportionate harm and suffering among the most disadvantaged people in society. Low-income families, people of color, children, older adults, people with disabilities, and others with less power and fewer economic resources tend to be hurt first and worst when disaster strikes.

Research led by social scientists and interdisciplinary teams has clarified who is most at risk, where the most exposed and socially vulnerable populations live, why these groups may struggle to prepare for and respond to disaster, and how they are impacted in both the immediate and longer-term aftermath of environmental extremes.

The big question that remains is what can be done to address the inequities at the root of uneven exposure and the unequal effects of disaster?

This special collection of Research Counts provides groundbreaking insights from emerging leaders in the hazards and disaster field to help answer that pressing question.

About This Collection

This special collection on Equity and Inclusion in Disasters grew out of a shared commitment of the Natural Hazards Center and the Bill Anderson Fund to reduce disproportionate disaster harm. With the unwavering support of the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, members of our respective organizations teamed up to publish this collection.

Our focus and choice of terminology were intentional. In emphasizing equity, we wanted to not only identify the uneven distribution of harm, but also promote fairer practices that can produce better, more just outcomes and conditions for all people. In highlighting inclusion, we started with an acknowledgement that there can be no justice unless we center the experiences of those who bear the greatest burdens of disaster, while embracing approaches that encourage deeper understanding and participation in disaster planning. Equity and inclusion go hand in hand, as the process of involving a spectrum of people in disaster research and its applications can lead to better outcomes across time, space, and hazard type.

The special collection features 24 original articles written by Bill Anderson Fund fellows, alums, and collaborators. The authors represent a diversity of perspectives and a wide range of disciplines. They bring approaches from the arts and humanities, social and physical sciences, engineering, public health, and beyond. They focus on a number of hazard types as well, including drought, floods, falling space debris, tsunamis, wildfires, extreme heat, winter storms, hurricanes, and compound hazards. What binds this body of work together is the commitment to identifying evidence-based, community-grounded, and equitable approaches to disaster risk reduction, response, and recovery.

The articles in this collection are organized around the following cross-cutting thematic areas:

Low-Attention Disasters
Social Marginalization and Inequality
Equity and Inclusion Throughout the Disaster Cycle
Best Practices for Community-Based Collaborations
Strengths and Capacities of Socially Marginalized Communities

Across these thematic areas, the authors offer fresh insights that can help inform more inclusive and effective policy and practice. For example, articles in this collection demonstrate how exclusionary policies and regulatory gaps are worsening the impacts of disaster—a situation that demands more robust disaster legal and financial aid. Other pieces illustrate how creative methodologies can uncover hidden risks and convey collective experiences of disaster injustice that powerfully communicate the need for systemic change. Several contributions speak to the urgent need to close gaps in data availability through using new tools and building broader coalitions of community partners.

Each article sheds light on a different, complex issue of inequality. Taken together, this special collection offers hope for a more compassionate, caring, and just future.

About the Authors

Nnenia Campbell

Nnenia Campbell is executive director of the Bill Anderson Fund and a research associate with the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Campbell’s research centers on the intersections between disaster vulnerability and resilience among older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, and other marginalized communities, as well as the roles that community-based organizations play in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Her work translates empirical research on the social aspects of disasters into tools and information products for practitioners and decision-makers, with an emphasis on inclusive engagement.

Lori Peek

Lori Peek is director of the Natural Hazards Center and professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder. She is principal investigator of the National Science Foundation-funded CONVERGE initiative and author of Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans after 9/11, co-editor of Displaced: Life in the Katrina Diaspora, and co-author of Children of Katrina. She also is a contributing author to FEMA P-1000 Safer, Stronger, Smarter: A Guide to Improving School Natural Hazard Safety. She is currently leading the Third Assessment of Natural Hazards in the United States, which involves more than 100 scientists and engineers who are critically assessing the state of knowledge in the field.

Anna Canny

Anna Canny is the science writer, editor, and communicator for the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work is driven by the belief that effective science communication empowers the most vulnerable populations and creates more resilient communities. Before joining the Natural Hazards Center, Canny worked as an climate and weather reporter for KTOO Public Media in Juneau, Alaska, where her reporting landslides, avalanches, and glacial outburst floods earned awards for best public safety reporting, best science reporting, and best history reporting from the Alaska Press Club.