Developing a Disaster Preparedness Tool Kit to Effectively Train the Community of Geismar, Louisiana in the Case of a Natural or Anthropogenic Disaster

People in regions that regularly face both natural and anthropogenic hazards are more vulnerable as compared to populations that do not live in these areas (Bullard, 2000). The purpose of this research project is to develop and evaluate a training approach for the small community of Geismar, Louisiana (Khalid, 2012). Geismar is disproportionately impacted by both natural and anthropogenic disasters (Bullard and Wright, 2008). To address the susceptibilities of this community to disasters, the research tested an emergency preparedness training workshop using a pre-and-post-quantitative assessment that examined peoples’ understanding of disaster preparedness and the usability of disaster preparedness supply kits. The literature suggests that natural and anthropogenic disasters are increasingly observed in small communities of color (UNEP, 2005). The UNEP reports that in the last decade approximately 2.5 billion people were negatively affected as a result of the impacts of a natural disaster; 478,100 people were killed, and damages cost over 690 billion dollars (UNEP, 2005). Most of the past disaster preparedness training has focused on natural hazards, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. The uniqueness of this research is that it 1) identifies nationally recognized preparedness resources, 2) tailors those resources to address the major vulnerabilities of the Geismar community and 3) develops a preparedness toolkit to address the possible impacts of natural and anthropogenic disasters (Wingate, 2007, 242).