Black and Brown Community Perceptions of Vulnerability and Barriers to Receiving Risk-Messaging during March 2-3, 2020 Nashville Tornadoes

Keywords: tornadoes, risk, vulnerability, community, resiliency, minority, Tennessee, black geographies, brown geographies, climatology,
Session Type: Virtual Poster Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 49

Abstract

On March 2—3, 2020 a tornado breakout occurred Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. This event took the lives of twenty-five people and was determined to be the sixth costliest tornado event in history. Prior research has found that Black and Brown communities have disparate exposure and inequities in preparing for and responding to severe weather events. Additionally, the forms of communication and risk-messaging are more effective when targeted towards the unique networks of communication and third spaces for at-risk communities. For the scope of this research, the EF3 affecting Nashville and surrounding neighborhoods is the focus of understanding the vulnerabilities and barriers to receiving risk-messaging within Black and Brown communities preceding and during the tornado event. By examining the responses of 221 Black and Brown adult respondents exposed to the event, this study aims to address three questions: 1) How does the timing of knowledge about the event depend on information sources and affect protective actions? 2) To what extent did kindship networks (friends, family, community third spaces) affect a participant’s preparation for the tornado event? 3) How does increased vulnerability affect their likelihood to receive recovery aid after the event? The results of this study will be provided to the affected communities and key stakeholders to be utilized for policy products, emergency management, and community resilience initiatives to reduce the exposure and vulnerabilities of Black and Brown communities within Nashville.