Department of Public Health, California State University, East Bay, Hayward, CA 94542, USA.
Department of Human Development and Women's Studies, California State University, East Bay, Hayward, CA 94542, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 14;19(4):2156. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042156.
In Puerto Rico, a host of factors makes the role of community-based organizations (CBOs) critically important in emergency preparedness and response (EPR) and disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction (DiDRR) addressing the needs of people with disabilities and older adults. The territory has been the site of recurring hurricanes, earthquakes, medical crises, and human-made disasters. Political, social, and economic problems unique to the archipelago have historically limited the preparedness and response capacity of governmental authorities, especially for its most at-risk populations. In a context of severe constraints on government resources, CBOs are positioned to play an outsized role in providing services for disabled and older adults before, during, and after emergencies. This study assesses the emergency preparedness and response capacity of CBOs ( = 22) for addressing the needs of people with disabilities and the elderly. Semi-structured, largely closed-ended interviews were conducted in Spanish with key informants at Puerto Rican CBOs. The interviews included questions about emergency preparedness and response training, as well as organizational capacity during COVID-19 and post-Hurricane María. This study posits that conditions in Puerto Rico place CBOs at the forefront of critical responsibilities including emergency preparedness and response, warranting assessment of their practices and resources to assist them in fulfilling their mission.
在波多黎各，由于一系列因素，社区组织（CBO）在应急准备和响应（EPR）以及残疾人包容性灾害风险管理（DiDRR）方面发挥着至关重要的作用，以满足残疾人和老年人的需求。该地区经常发生飓风、地震、医疗危机和人为灾害。该群岛特有的政治、社会和经济问题在历史上限制了政府当局的准备和应对能力，尤其是对风险最高的人群。在政府资源严重受限的情况下，CBO 有能力在紧急情况发生之前、期间和之后为残疾人和老年人提供服务，发挥超出其规模的作用。本研究评估了 CBO（=22）在满足残疾人和老年人需求方面的应急准备和响应能力。对波多黎各 CBO 的主要知情人进行了西班牙语的半结构化、主要为封闭式访谈。访谈包括有关应急准备和响应培训的问题，以及在 COVID-19 和飓风玛丽亚之后的组织能力问题。本研究认为，波多黎各的情况使 CBO 处于包括应急准备和响应在内的关键责任的前沿，有必要评估其做法和资源，以帮助他们履行使命。
