The Mayors Vulnerability And Resilience Project

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Introduction

Charleston County needs to be resilient in handling emergency disasters. This paper seeks to

identify the hazards the county is at risk of, their severity and frequency. More importantly, the

paper draws focus to vulnerable populations in the wake of these hazards, and on how the county

may address their incorporation in its preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation plans

against the identified hazards. Recommendations on how the county can specifically strengthen

the County’s existing Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) so that the impact of disasters is not

only lessened but recovery is more effective and efficient for vulnerable groups.

Hazards facing the county

Charleston County faces both natural and manmade or technological hazards. Natural disasters

may include hurricanes, tropical storms, lightning, wildfires, tornadoes, floods, disease

epidemics and heat waves. On the other hand, technological and manmade disasters that threaten

the county include hazardous material (Hazmat) release, terrorism, and mass casualty.

Hurricanes are the most common natural hazards in the county, with at least two hitting the

county in each hurricane season. The most recent hurricane season was 2016,according to the

National Hurricane Centre (NHC). The severity of these storms can be quite high with an

approximate $ 155 million worth of property and infrastructure lost in damages in each. The

areas in the county most affected by hurricanes are the towns along the 95-mile coastline. These

areas have a propensity of being with a major hurricane at least once in 10 years (according to

the National Hurricane Centre). The risk of hurricanes severity in the county is heightened by its

flat topography and dense coastal residencies.

Tropical storms are a milder forms of storms, coming below hurricanes. They occur more

frequently compared to hurricanes and cause less severe damages with little on no deaths. The

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threat from storm surge represents a bigger hazard to the island residencies and the greater

southern part of the county.

Tornadoes occur almost annually and are experienced mainly in the months of june, july and

august. Tornadoes in the larger South Carolina are very dangerous due in part of their uniquely

violent nature both at night and day. Many of these tornadoes are classified as an EF1 (86-110

mph winds) or below, and occur about once per year. (BISD, 2016, pg.52)

The county is also prone to flooding especially during the rainy season of the months June to

October. The area most affected with this flooding are the ones on flat terrain. The lack of

elevation gradient to facilitate water run off potentiates the flooding. Severe flooding however,,

occurs near canals and rivers affecting surrounding areas. With 130 recorded flooding events

between 2013 and 2016, the chances of a flooding event occurring are 90%. (BISD, 2016, pg.

47).

wildfires.The vast acres in the county covered with either forests or wild grasses are most

vulnerable to wildfires when the dry season ensues from january to April. These wildfires cause

extensive environmental, agricultural and structural damage. Inhalation of the smoke from the

wildfire as well cause health problems more so in the densely populated areas.

Public health hazards. Quite a number of disease epidemics may break out in the county. Ebola,

Avian Flu, and the most recent ,Zika Virus, are among the epidemics that may cause a problem

and are under close monitoring by public health officials. The severity of these disease epidemics

can as high as to cause multiple fatalities.

Climate change is another natural hazard. Increasing changes in the global climate are further

worsening weather hazards. Scientists project the severity and frequency of hurricanes will

increase due to rise in surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico (evidence

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in support of climate change). Climate change will as well potentiate disease epidemics,

wildfires, sea level rise and flooding.

Technological hazards. The county being an industrialised county is on an appreciable risk of

technological hazards such as Hazmat release and mass migration among others. The transport

system handles large volumes of hazardous material. These may spill in case of accidents and

cause extensive environmental damage and even fatalities. Persons in areas along major transport

systems such as pipeline and highways are more vulnerable to effects of hazardous material in

the event of an accident or spill. The county’s close proximity to the prime southern shipping

corridor coupled with an extensive coastline increases its vulnerability to oil spill and its effects.

Terrorism. organised terror pose a greater threat to the county. This is exacerbated by the fact

that the county receives a lot of visitors, both domestic and international, as tourists. Most of the

forms of terror attacks including biological, explosive, nuclear and chemical are all possible in

the county. The areas in the county under most threat are mainly the coastal towns with top

dollar investments such beach hotels. The dense settlements in the coastal town also increase

vulnerability to terror attack. Terror attacks can be very severe, claiming up to thousands of lives

and destroying property worth millions of dollars. Major terror attacks on US soil include the

September 11 2001 attack on the world Trade Centre in New York.

Vulnerable populations.

This refers to persons who may be forced to stay at home despite there being an impending

disaster such as a hurricane. Such persons will require special assistance in the event of an

emergency evacuation prompted by a disaster. These may include such persons as the elderly,

disabled and those with frailty due to medical conditions requiring basic nursing care. These

populations are listed in the Vulnerable Population Registry by emergency response plans to

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help emergency responders plan better for evacuations and recoveries from disasters. The

registry further helps responders to be better prepared to meet needs of these populations during

recovery phase.

The percentage of the elderly population in the county is about 3.9% of the total population

representing close to 88000 persons. Persons living with disability in the county are about

10.60% representing a total of 255000 persons. This figure include all persons living with any

form of disability such as cognitive, hearing, vision, ambulatory difficulty and self-care

difficulty.

What makes these populations vulnerable.

Each of these populations, as mentioned above, have unique reasons as to why they are

considered vulnerable and to which hazard they are vulnerable. The elderly are vulnerable in

most of the hazards mentioned above, though the vulnerability is more pronounced in weather

hazards. This group of people are considered vulnerable in the event of disasters for a number of

reasons. one, they may not be able to self-care and effectively move themselves to safety or

evacuation points during emergencies. Also, old age itself comes with frailty. Therefore, the

elderly may take considerably long periods to move to safety. All these reasons combine to

suffice the need for special assistance to this population during emergencies.

On the part of persons living with disability, both physical and physiological, the reasons are

clear. This group of people, especially those with ambulatory difficulty, are not able to move on

their own (they are mostly on wheelchairs). In the event of a disaster, it will be hard for them to

relocate to safety in time. The hazards this group is vulnerable to include tornadoes, nuclear

accidents, hurricanes and floods. Disability of physiological nature such deafness, blindness and

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cognitive difficulties put the persons affected at bigger risk of injury or fatality from such

hazards as floods, hurricane and lightning. The deaf may for example not hear sound alarms

activated in the event of an impending hurricane or tornado. The blind on the other hand will not

for example see incoming floods. For such reasons, these groups are vulnerable to effects of the

mentioned hazards. It is therefore, imperative to have them considered for special evacuations.

The other group facing vulnerability is that with persons requiring basic nursing care and or

oxygen support. Such people are likely to be in a bed-ridden condition thus requiring aided

movement to safety. Hazards that are of major concern to such persons may include hurricanes,

floods, tornadoes, and hazmat release. Vulnerability of these people comes in due to their

inherent inability to do much activity in the absence of medical or nursing support. An attempt

to, for example move themselves, may lead to deterioration of their condition to even cause

death. Special evacuation is therefore necessitated for them.

What makes vulnerable populations resilient.

The identified vulnerable populations may have unique characteristics that may enable them to

cope with disasters that may hit the county. As it may be defined, “Resilience is a measure of the

persistence of systems and of their ability to absorb change and disturbance and still maintain the

same relationships between populations or state variable,” the concept of resilience to natural

hazards and disasters.

The resilience of a community comprises the capacity to cope with hazards and disasters by (1)

utilizing the existing biophysical infrastructure, (2) mobilizing socio-economic resources, and (3)

reducing its vulnerability elements. Notable also is that robust communities have the ability to

stand still in the face of natural disasters.

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Some of the local community organisations that may help the vulnerable populations in the wake

of hazards or disaster may include The Salvation Army. This provides various disaster relief

services, which are based on seven core services: disaster training, food service, emergency

communications, social services, donation management, and long-term recovery programming.

(Salvation Army, n.d.)

In addition, a special community organisation in Charleston County, the Lowcountry CERT

(Community Emergency Response Team) strengthens the resilience of the community through

the services it offers to vulnerable groups during emergencies. The services include supporting

emergency service agencies, and encourage emergency preparedness by training, education, and

informing the public, with focus on such groups as the elderly and persons with disability.

Vulnerable populations in different phases of disasters.

1.Vulnerable populations in preparedness and response focused plans and programs.

Preparedness may be looked at as a continuous cycle that encompases planning, organising,

training, equipping and exercising for an imminent disaster. This ensures that appropriate

resources and systems are in place to respond to all needs of the community in an emergency

situation. As dictated by state laws, the Emergency Management Department is the primary body

responsible for preparing the county against hazards. It is required to develop,maintain and

periodically update a comprehensive plan for emergency operations. It also mandated to draw a

clear structure outlining coordination of county, state and federal resources and personnel during

an emergency response to augment the National Incident Management System (NIMS). To that

effect, the county has developed the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The EOP outlines clear

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guidelines on preparedness and response to disasters while incorporating needs of vulnerable

populations.

First, there are special education materials that are specifically designed to help the vulnerable

populations. In their planning, policy makers have found the social vulnerability index (SVI) to

be a valuable tool in determining groups of society that are vulnerable to hazards as well as

target areas that may require special resource mobilization during an emergency response.

Another area of preparedness is the Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) courses

which are offered to the various members of the community. The Emergency Management

Department is responsible for providing community emergency education to county citizens and

concerned organisations. The CERT courses incorporate special skills to help meet the needs of

target populations such as the vulnerable populations in the wake of an emergency.

In addition, the county, through the Department of Health (DOH), has mapped out a number of

health facilities and locations as ‘medical evacuation shelters’. These are equipped and prepared

to serve persons with special medical conditions as well as the general population in the wake of

emergencies.

Another area of preparedness for vulnerable populations is that the county requires special needs

persons to do the following; register with Emergency Management Department (EMD), have an

update emergency health information card as well as bring specifications of adaptive equipment

on evacuation.

Finally, local agencies that are supposed to help the vulnerable population during emergencies

such as the American Red Cross, hospitals, EMD work in concert periodically to plan on

strategies and protocols to help the vulnerable populations during emergencies.

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As regards to response to emergencies, DOH provides both health and medical needs of

vulnerable persons in the wake of emergencies. EMD works in concert with the DOH to ensure

the most vulnerable populations receive appropriate care while responding to emergencies or

disasters. In addition to this, the DOH provides and coordinates medical and support staff in

medical evacuation shelters that also serve the vulnerable population.

Vulnerable population in recovery and mitigation Focused plans and Programs.

Recovery from an emergency or disaster entails, ‘functional restoration of a community to its

conditions prior to the events of the disaster.’ (EOP vol. 1). The recovery is approached in terms

of phases: short term recovery and long term recovery. Short-term recovery actions are taken to

assess damage and return vital life-support systems to minimum operating standards; long-term

recovery actions may continue for many years. EMD, through its EOC Infrastructure Branch

Director, is the agency responsible for the coordination of short-term recovery efforts within the

County.

A Post Disaster Recovery Committee is constituted under the EMD to initiate long term

recovery actions (EOP vol. 1 pg.71). Some of the key recovery activities include the following:

preliminary damage assessment, coordinated debris strategy and debris clearance as well as the

coordination of business recovery actions.

The EOP defines mitigation as ‘ Activities designed to reduce or eliminate risks to persons or

property or to lessen the actual or potential effects or consequences of an incident. Mitigation

measures may be implemented prior to, during, or after an incident.’ And according to the

Stafford Act, sections 404 and 406, hazard mitigation, ‘is any action taken to reduce or eliminate

the long-term risk to human life and property from natural or man-made hazards.’

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The EOP notes that, in addition to infrastructural restoration such as road and building

reconstruction, restoration of provision of services to people including those with special needs is

key to full recovery of the county from disasters.

Of the twenty four Emergency Support Functions (ESF) included in the EOP, only a few entail

measures for recovery or mitigation activities specific to the County’s vulnerable populations.

Notably so is ESF-6-Mass Care (pg. 82)- Department of Social Services (DSS) is designated as

the primary agency for coordinating and managing mass care and disaster responsive services.

The DSS coordinates three key agencies in helping the vulnerable groups recover from disasters.

These are the American Red cross, Southern Baptist Convention, and the Salvation Army which

are all tasked with feeding and sheltering residents after a disaster. The vulnerable population,

except for those with special medical conditions, receive the same treatment or services as the

rest of the population. In view of this special consideration, the DSS and Department of Health

and Environmental Control (DHCE) are tasked with operating Special Medical Needs shelters

throughout the state, managed by DHCE. (Charleston County, 2016, pg. 82).

Another consideration of the vulnerable population as regards to recovery is listed in ESF-14 –

Long-Term Community Recovery and Mitigation, however to a limited extent. The ECF lists that

the Deputy County Administrator for Human Services, with various support agencies, will

provide for the coordinated effort of all concerned parties involved with recovery in the

community including but not limited to vulnerable populations in the wake of a disaster.

Part of recovery process includes control of re-entry into the impacted areas after mass

evacuations following a major disaster. Charlton county has developed a plan; the Re-Entry and

Security Plan (2017), which serves as a guide for local and state agencies for managing “orderly

and efficient re-entry” after a large-scale evacuation while safely securing public and private

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property. This plan entails various key activities relating to re-entry into an impacted area. These

are: evaluation and assessment of essential human needs such as food, water, housing and

medical services, planning for and implementing the return of evacuees from Emergency

Evacuation Centres, and finally assisting impacted populations, including the vulnerable persons

in restoration of essential services. Also, the plan provides guidelines on the entry process, when

and whom is to re-enter the impacted places. In these guidelines, it is determined that vulnerable

populations, especially those with special medical conditions are not recommended to re-enter

these impacted areas until all essential services including communication, power, water and

medical services have been normalised. Until that is achieved, the vulnerable populations remain

under care of emergency responding agencies in the mass evacuation centres set up following a

disaster.

Recommendations

Inclusion of vulnerable groups.

It is notable that charlton county has put in place minimal measures to help populations

considered vulnerable in its emergency preparedness, response and recovery plans. Notable also

is that various groups of people that are actually vulnerable in the wake of a disaster are not

incorporated as vulnerable populations requiring special assistance in the minimal measures

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identified above. Some of the groups of people that do actually require special assistance in the

event of a disaster include tourists (both domestic and international) to the county, the elderly

(mostly those above 80years), non-English speaking persons, the homeless, and persons living

with disabilities. It is disheartening to note that the county has not listed all of these groups of

people as vulnerable during disasters. These persons have a greater potential for greater harm in

case of a disaster as they have the least capacity to cope when disaster strikes.

First off, the homeless people are vulnerable during disasters because they lack established

shelters which can provide some safety in the event of such hazards as tornadoes or tropical

storms. They are directly exposed to the effects of many hazards that may strike the county.

The non-English speaking on their part, have susceptibility to harm from hazards. This is

because they may not understand emergency alerts on mainstream media. Also, these persons

are unlikely to follow through emergency preparation plans and trainings which are primarily

English-based.

The other vulnerable group is the elderly. These are uniquely vulnerable in the sense that they

have frailty and may therefore not be able to evacuate themselves to safety during emergencies.

This excludes the elderly persons housed in nursing care centres for they have people who can

safely vacate them.

Tourists to Charleston County may as well be considered vulnerable during emergencies. This is

due to the fact that tourists have little or no knowledge of the routes, safety measures and

emergency protocols followed by the county in disaster situations. They are likely to be confused

and in panic when they find themselves in the middle of a disaster with no knowledge of what to

do or where to move to.

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Finally, persons living with disability are vulnerable in the wake of a disaster in the county.

These group of people include the blind, deaf, and physically challenged persons. This special

group in society lack the capability to effectively respond and evacuate to safety in case of a

disaster. The blind will not, for example, see emergency alerts on television. The physically

challenged, who probably maybe on a supportive equipment, will respond but rather slowly due

to their physical incapacitation.

All the above groups of people are at risk of potentially fatal harm, due to their unique

characteristics, in the wake of an emergency situation. In that regard, it is imperative for the

county of Charleston to list them as vulnerable populations, and to that effect, put in place

sufficient measures in its emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation plans. Such

measures will ensure harm to these groups of people is minimised in the event that a disaster

occurred in the county.

Vulnerable groups and preparedness

As it has been rightly noted earlier, it is important to identify groups of people in the county that

are likely to be vulnerable during an emergency situation and accordingly incorporate special

measures in the county emergency preparedness, response and recovery plans. Charleston

County has listed some groups of people as vulnerable, but little has been done in terms of

planning for these groups in case a disaster struck the county. Accordingly, some of the areas I

think the county can focus on to help better secure vulnerable populations during disasters

include:

1) The county should develop and continuously update a comprehensive registry of

vulnerable populations so that it may incorporate other groups of people, that are also

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vulnerable. The registry, besides giving the total number of vulnerable persons, will

specify the type of vulnerability and to which hazard a given group of people is

vulnerable. This will ensure county response and that from other organisations is well

targeted and thus saving many lives.

2) The county to develop and operationalise specially designed emergency response

training for the identified various vulnerable populations. The training can include but not

limited to: the use of safety equipment; and simulations on actual emergency

evacuations. This will involve creating more awareness about emergencies among the

vulnerable population and in effect ensure they are better prepared for emergency

situations in the county.

3) The county to source for and accordingly allocate sufficient funds to responsible

organisations such as the Emergency Management Department (EMD) specifically to aid

in preparedness of the vulnerable populations towards hazards that may occur in the

county. This will ensure that majority of the necessary measures for preparedness are put

in place and executed accordingly.

4) The county’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) to be revised to include regulations,

public policy and laws to enforce preparation and accountability by agencies, cities and

codes which benefit vulnerable populations prior to the arrival of a natural disaster. The

County to work to identify advocates who can effectively represent these sub-

populations.

Vulnerable groups and response

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Charleston County has in place response strategy in the event a hazard struck the county. This is

put out clearly in the county’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The county will respond much

faster and more effectively, as regards to vulnerable populations, by incorporating the

recommendations below:

1) The county to establish and train community volunteer groups that act as first responders

at the grassroot level. These groups will also augment operations of the EMD and other

emergency organisations such as the American Red Cross. The individual volunteers are

to properly trained on basic skills to help vulnerable populations during response to

emergencies.

2) The county to identify various organisations that help the EMD in response to

emergencies in the county and require them to include measures geared towards meeting

the needs of vulnerable populations. The county should provide resources to facilitate

incorporation of these measures in the emergency response plans of the identified

organisations.

3) The county to identify and partner with local facilities in all the municipalities of the

county that provide special services to persons categorised as vulnerable such as the

elderly and persons living with disability. These facilities include geriatric care providers,

disability persons centres, specialty transport services and care facilities. Such centres

have the required items to properly manage the unique needs of vulnerable populations

and can be used in helping the vulnerable populations, therefore result in fewer losses of

life following a disaster.

Vulnerable groups and recovery

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Recovery is the last phase in the management of a disaster. Its is a phase that seeks to return the

county to pre-disaster condition. The activities that are geared for recovery from a disaster can

be short term and long term. Both short term and long term activities need to be done exquisitely

in order to ensure minimum operational standards of the county prior to the disaster are achieved.

The EOP of the county provides general recovery measures in the ECFs section. Incorporation of

the recommendations below into these ECFs will help in the recovery of those persons requiring

additional support, especially the vulnerable populations.

1) The county to identify all centres and facilities providing special services to such persons

considered as vulnerable, for example, disability persons centres, and ensure there is

prompt reopening of these facilities after a disaster so that the people it serves can be

served. If such centres were impacted by the hazard that affected the county, the

reconstruction thereof should be facilitated by the county through insurance to ensure

recovery of these centres.

2) The county to secure part of its resources for recovery post-disaster to aid in

reconstruction of homes of vulnerable populations. This may require establishment of of

a Recovery Fund specifically for the vulnerable populations in the county. This is due to

the notion that vulnerable populations may not promptly secure resources for

reconstruction of their homes as would the general population. This will in essence

ensure recovery of these groups of people post-disaster.

3) The county to advocate for and facilitate establishment of community building programs

which promote a sense of cohesiveness in communities. such programs may include but

not limited to community festivals. With such an environment, neighbors and friends will

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aid in the recovery efforts of their fellow neighbor, and vulnerable will highly benefit

from such efforts.

Vulnerable groups and mitigation

Mitigation is probably the single most important part of disaster management. Knowing how one

can prevent a given hazard from is crucial in avoiding the effects secondary to such an hazard’s

occurrence. That notwithstanding, some hazards, especially the natural hazards may not be

necessarily preventable. Manmade and technological hazards on their part may be avoided if

appropriate mitigation measures are put in place. In developing mitigation plans, vulnerable

groups need to be considered as recommended below.

1) The county to put plans for the construction of offshore reefs in the coastal waters within

its jurisdiction. These reefs will cause storms to break on impact and therefore dissipate

most of their energy off shore. This means minimal damage will be sustained on the

coastal settlements. As such disastrous damage of the vulnerable coastal residents and

businesses can be avoided.

2) The county, through the Department of Health to set up disease surveillance checks at the

various points of entry into the county. This will help in prompt detection of any likely

disease import into the county through humans or animals, especially pets. Such a

measure will mitigate against disease epidemics that may hit the county, and cause

irreparable effects especially to most vulnerable persons such as the elderly and the

homeless.

3) The county to revise residential houses construction code to ensure all residential

facilities are retrofitted or remodelled to meet current construction standards. This will

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protect such vulnerable groups as the elderly and/or low-income residents who often live

in older developments or rental units that may be more susceptible to collapse from wind

or storm forces and erosion of foundation by flood waters.

The above recommendations on preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation against hazards

can go a long way in protecting aforementioned vulnerable groups against deleterious effects of

hazards, both natural and manmade. However, the implementation thereof can be done in phases

in order to ensure that the county’s limited resources are not strained.

REFERENCES

Charleston County Government. (2016). Emergency Operations Plans. Retrieved from

https://www.charlestoncounty.org/departments/emergency-management/files/EOP.pdf

The Salvation Army. (n.d.) Disaster Relief Services. Retrieved from

http://disaster.salvationarmyusa.org/aboutus/?our services

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Emergency Management Department (EMD) of Charleston County. (2017). Re-Entry and

Security Plan. Retrieved from https://www.charlestoncounty.org/departments/emergency-

management/files/Re-Entry-Plan.pdf?v=621.

Levin, K.L., Berliner, M., and Merdjanova. (2014). Disaster Planning for Vulnerable

Populations: Leveraging Community Human Service Organizations Direct Service Delivery

Personnel. Journal of Public Health Management Practice. 20(5), S79-82. Retrieved from

http://ncdp.columbia.edu/in-focus/disaster-planning-vulnerable-populations/.

Shim, H.J., and Kim, C.J. (2015). Measuring Resilience to Natural Hazards: Towards

Sustainable Hazard Mitigation. Journal of Sustainability. 2071-1050. Retrieved from

http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/.

Broward County. (n.d.) The Vulnerable Population Registry. Retrieved from broward.org:

http://www.broward.org/Hurricane/Registry/Pages/default.aspx.

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