Emergency Response in Rural Areas

A new study from the University of Illinois takes a look at disaster response in rural versus urban areas and comes to some interesting conclusions, according to Medical News Today. While rural areas might be more vulnerable to natural disasters, their Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) "plan as if they might be the first responders to a disaster."

"What we've learned so far is that in rural communities there is a tradition of being more self-reliant," said Flint. "They're off the grid, so that makes them check on each other more, but they are also uniquely situated, closer in some ways to the physical environment and more isolated, making them uniquely vulnerable." [...] "Farm families have to keep going," said Flint. "They may have livestock. They can't wait for someone to flip the switch. They are more prepared for disaster. They have generators, kerosene heaters, snow plows and other equipment."

Tornadoes, flooding, winter storms, and hazardous material accidents can strike a city as well as a farm. But in urban communities they are faced with a heavier concentration of people and a social vulnerability -- neighbors don't talk to each other as much.

The study comes with hopes that policy-makers will be able to treat urban and rural areas individually based on needs that are often so different.