Systemic Vulnerabilities in Hispanic and Latinx Immigrant Communities Led to the Reliance on an Informal Warning System in the December 10–11, 2021 Tornado Outbreak

This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. The published version of this Preprint is available: https://doi.org/10.1061/NHREFO.NHENG-1755. This is version 3 of this Preprint.

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Authors

Joseph E. Trujillo-Falcón, América Gaviria Pabón, Justin Reedy, Kim E. Klockow-McClain

Abstract

On December 10–11, 2021, the deadliest December tornado outbreak on record produced a family of EF4 tornadoes that severely impacted communities in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee. Although the National Weather Service anticipated the outbreak three days earlier, not all communities received life-saving information before, during, or after the disaster. To examine systemic vulnerabilities experienced by Hispanic and Latinx immigrant populations, our team conducted a week-long field study in areas directly impacted by significant tornadoes. Connecting with local organizations, we interviewed 25 immigrants and community leaders in Arkansas and Kentucky. Social and systemic vulnerabilities, such as English proficiency, immigration status, and varying cultures of disaster preparedness are examined as potential blockades to inclusive disaster response. Themes are contextualized into Mileti and Sorensen’s warning response model. Findings indicate that US Hispanic and Latinx immigrants relied mainly on unofficial sources that had no expertise in severe weather forecasting and communication, prolonging their time to effectively respond to tornadoes and take proper protective actions. We conclude with practical recommendations for developing a multilingual emergency alert system that integrates community leaders and underserved groups.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31223/X5FW8F

Subjects

Environmental Sciences, Environmental Studies, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Disaster preparedness; Disaster recovery; Disaster warning systems; Emergency management; Hurricanes, tornadoes, and cyclones; Mitigation and remediation, disasters, vulnerability, Warnings, Emergency management, Tornadoes, December 10-11 tornadoes, Risk Communication, Spanish, Immigrants

Dates

Published: 2022-12-09 07:15

Last Updated: 2023-12-30 07:07

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License

CC-BY Attribution-No Derivatives 4.0 International

Additional Metadata

Conflict of interest statement:
None

Data Availability (Reason not available):
N/A