Emergency Preparedness: Knowledge And Perceptions Of Latin American Immigrants
Author: Carter-Pokras, Olivia
Date Published: 2007
This paper describes the level of public emergency knowledge and perceptions of risks among Latin American immigrants and their preferred and actual sources of emergency preparedness information. Topics range from terrorism, pandemic flu, and natural disasters. The article asserts that racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to disasters than non-Hispanic Whites for many reasons including, but not limited to, socioeconomic differences and language barriers and minority preference for particular information sources such as family and holding on to a general distrust in government services. To address these issues, the study compiled five Latino community member focus groups in a suburban county of Washington D.C. (n=51). Participants come from 13 Latin American countries, and 64.7 percent immigrated during the previous five years.
Date Published: 2007
This paper describes the level of public emergency knowledge and perceptions of risks among Latin American immigrants and their preferred and actual sources of emergency preparedness information. Topics range from terrorism, pandemic flu, and natural disasters. The article asserts that racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to disasters than non-Hispanic Whites for many reasons including, but not limited to, socioeconomic differences and language barriers and minority preference for particular information sources such as family and holding on to a general distrust in government services. To address these issues, the study compiled five Latino community member focus groups in a suburban county of Washington D.C. (n=51). Participants come from 13 Latin American countries, and 64.7 percent immigrated during the previous five years.
