Research & Service

David Abramson, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of clinical sociomedical sciences and director of research at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, recently received awards of $100,000 from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and $50,000 from the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation to study "Community Factors Associated with Long-Term Disaster Recovery."

“The seeds of a community’s recovery from a catastrophe or major disaster are actually planted long before the actual event,” Dr. Abramson noted, “and we would hypothesize that planning for recovery is as important as planning for a rapid response.”  Employing case studies of four to six U.S. communities, Dr. Abramson will examine the long-term recovery issues facing communities that are exposed to significant natural hazard disaster risks.  His research team will conduct intensive interviews and site visits in selected communities that are predisposed to such hazards as earthquakes, flooding, and hurricanes.  “In the immediate aftermath of a catastrophic event, such as what we are currently witnessing in Haiti, humanitarian organizations, response agencies, and individuals often rush to an area to offer help and assistance.  That type of mutual aid is critical during a response phase, and even in the earliest stages of a community’s recovery.  But how well a community can actually recover its long-term economic base and social identity, and help its citizens restore their lives, is often dependent upon its local leadership and governance.”  Dr. Abramson’s team plans to explore the pre-disaster planning decisions that could accelerate a community's recovery of its critical infrastructure, economic and housing base, and population.

“These are issues that are central to the work of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness,” said Dr. Abramson. The Center focuses on four strategic themes in its research – system readiness, community engagement, vulnerable populations, and recovery and resiliency. The work on long-term community recovery complements one of Dr. Abramson’s other major studies, the Gulf Coast Child & Family Health Study, examining the trajectory of recovery among 1,000 randomly sampled households in Louisiana and Mississippi.  “Response is often dramatic,” concluded Dr. Abramson, “but recovery is enduring.”