Cultural Diversity in Disasters: Sheltering, Housing, and Long Term Recovery

Demographic shifts have put minority groups and the poor at greater risk to disaster during the last decade. Problems of sheltering and housing for these groups occurred following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in Watsonville, California. To mitigate future problems, disaster planners must identify various ethnic groups and other groups in a community. Diversity must be built into the disaster response during the planning stage. Researchers should continue and expand work related to diversity and disaster.