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ABSTRACT
Rural areas are uniquely vulnerable to a variety of hazards given their social and economic composition. Economic reliance on agriculture and natural resource extraction increases vulnerability to certain types of natural hazards such as drought, wildfires, and floods. Moreover, rural communities often lack adequate resources to prepare for and respond to disasters. Using data from the Texas Rural Survey, the U.S. Census, and the Spatial Hazards Events and Losses Database for the United States; this research explores questions related to risk perception, vulnerability to disaster, and perceptions of community efficacy in a rural context. Results indicate that rural Texans show greatest concern for drought, wildfires, tornadoes, and severe winter weather. However, perceptions of risk were not necessarily a reflection of historical or future risk or perceptions of community efficacy. This article concludes with comments on the relevance of these findings for community emergency preparedness planning and resilience in rural settings.
The frequency and intensity of natural disasters in the United States have increased markedly over the past 50 years (Cutter and Emrich 2005; Prelog 2012). While estimates of financial losses vary widely (Mileti 1999), reliable estimates indicate that U.S. losses from weather-related disasters alone exceeded $1 trillion between 1980 and 2011 (Smith and Katz 2013). The U.S. state of Texas routinely experiences a variety of natural disaster events, and annual financial losses attributable to catastrophic disasters in Texas are often the highest in the country (Insurance Council of Texas 2009, 2010). Human losses from Texas natural disasters are also notable with conservative estimates indicating that Texas has lost nearly 2,000 lives and sustained more than 23,000 injuries from natural hazards since 1960 (Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute 2013).
That natural disaster losses in Texas are so substantial is, in part, due to the relative size of Texas' population and its degree of urbanization. Texas' population is the second largest in the country. The state's 25.1 million people are concentrated in the fourth (Houston), seventh (San Antonio), ninth (Dallas), and eleventh (Austin) largest U.S. cities, and these cities are routinely affected by large natural disaster events. Yet, Texas' rural population is also substantial at approximately 3.85 million people (U.S. Census Bureau 2010a), a population larger than that of 26 other U.S. states.
Rural areas...