Emergency management is acutely attuned to the nature of inequality and the COVID pandemic. Those working in the field have been engrossed in it from day one. Many emergency teams, especially in Florida, saw a shift in focus when the pandemic hit from preparing for summer weather (hurricanes, tornados, heat waves, etc.) to the pandemic. This year has really been the first since the pandemic hit that emergency management has been able to focus on other things without major consideration and resources going to COVID efforts. This also means that programs are picking up from where they were haphazardly left 2 years ago in March and trying to get back together. The lack of resources has left many, especially homeless populations, without much help for over two years. This issue is being addressed but it will take time to really go away.
As for my CapStone Project, I have transitioned my idea away from the original one that I had. I am beginning to develop ideas about research involving student preparedness for emergencies and how this could be improved. Seeing all the groups that are involved in emergency management and are targeted for educational efforts, students are completely left out. They are assumed to be with their parents or independents adults in their planning, but that is not really true, especially in dorm housing situations. I would be interested to look at how students react to emergencies, what they know and prepare for, and how they believe that emergency management should better help them.
HSF House Blogs 