Vulnerability of Community Businesses to Environmental Disasters

Zhang, Yang; Lindell, Michael K.; Prater, Carla S.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/8930 Copy

Description

Title

Vulnerability of Community Businesses to Environmental Disasters

Author(s)

• Zhang, Yang
• Lindell, Michael K.
• Prater, Carla S.

Issue Date

2007-06

Keyword(s)

• MAE Center
• Vulnerability
• Disasters
• Business
• Disaster Planning
• Post-Disaster Recovery

Abstract

Business plays important roles in community functioning. However, disaster research has been disproportionately focusing on units of analysis such as families, households, and government agencies. This paper synthesizes the major findings within the business development research field and those within the disaster research field. It constructs a research framework for evaluating business vulnerability to natural disasters. Our theoretical integration of the research conducted to date addresses five major issues. First, it defines the ways in which businesses are subject to the impacts of natural disasters. Second, it identifies the factors that determine the magnitude of business impacts after a disaster. Third, it identifies how and when businesses will return to their pre-disaster level in the disaster stricken community. Fourth, it outlines how business impacts interact with other aspects of community impacts (i.e. socio-demographic impacts) of natural disasters? Fifth, it discusses which business sectors are winners and which are losers in response to a natural disaster in terms of how to measure business losses or gains.

Publisher

Mid-America Earthquake Center

Series/Report Name or Number

MAE Center CD Release 07-12

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/8930

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

• National Science Foundation EEC-9701785
• National Science Foundation CMS 0219155

Owning Collections