Title

Emergency Preparedness Among Salem’s Hispanic Population: Proposal to Improve Emergency Preparedness and Engagement

Author

John C. Pegg II, Concordia University - Portland

Date of Award

12-1-2018

Document Type

Practicum

College

School of Management

Department

Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Degree Name

Homeland Security, BS

Abstract

The emergency preparedness of the residents of the City of Salem is of great importance to the City and the resilience of the community. The City’s emergency management mission states “to ensure that the City is prepared for a disaster by ensuring coordination of protection, prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery activities that increase the City’s capabilities to minimize loss of life and reduce impacts from disasters” (City of Salem, 2014). Oregon and the City of Salem are susceptible to a variety of emergencies and disasters. These disasters are infrequent compared to other areas of the country that face a recurring threat of hurricanes, tornados, severe winter storms or other events and may lead to complacency. Due to the infrequency of disasters, it is even more important that emergency preparedness efforts engage the population and maintain preparedness efforts to ensure that the community is prepared for an eventual disaster.

The Hispanic population of Salem accounts for more than one fifth of the total population (US Census Bureau, 2017) and needs to be an integral part of emergency preparedness efforts. Hispanics require an emergency preparedness approach that addresses the diversity of this population group, barriers to emergency preparedness and communication challenges. Emergency preparedness education, outreach and communication with the Hispanic population have not been fully addressed.

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