The Natural Hazards Center published a new article as part of its “Mitigation Matters” research brief series. “Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning for Public Housing in Salt Lake County, Utah,” a case study, examines post-disaster housing plans, planning motivation, challenges, opportunities, and coordination between various entities as they relate to pre-disaster recovery planning for public housing in Salt Lake County, Utah. A lack of pre-disaster assessments, poor coordination and information-sharing, inadequate funding, leadership problems, and issues with trust were all challenges for successful pre-disaster recovery planning and post-disaster rehousing of public housing residents.
The article cites research finding that Salt Lake County has a 57% probability of experiencing 6.75 magnitude earthquake sometime in the next 50 years. One scenario modeling a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the region predicted almost 263,300 people could be displaced. Public housing residents are particularly vulnerable to negative impacts from such disasters.
The authors, Sayma Khajehei and Divya Chandrasekhar, used a combination qualitative research techniques including archival research and semi-structured key informant interviews with ten local emergency management, city planning, and housing officials to conduct the case study. They found that Salt Lake County and its localities had not developed a stand-alone plan for housing recovery in their disaster preparedness and response plans. The authors also observed:
- Lack of adequate or dedicated funding for pre-disaster planning
- Lack of knowledge among housing authorities about the potential scale of displacement
- Insufficient planning for how to implement post-disaster shelter needs assessments for displaced public housing residents
- Limited opportunities for coordination between public housing agencies and other housing-related entities
- Little motivation among local leaders to plan ahead
The authors concluded Salt Lake County is generally unprepared to house displaced public housing residents after a disaster. They recommended that communities in Salt Lake County better promote pre-disaster recovery planning for public housing through dedicated funding for planning, joint planning, engagement with diverse communities, and public education about the importance of public housing recovery.
“Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning for Public Housing in Salt Lake County, Utah” is at: https://bit.ly/3shlIm0