Seemingly never ending storms brought historic flooding to South Carolina over the past few weeks, making the Palmetto state the latest one impacted by flooding this year. How quickly and completely such communities across the country recover may depend, at least in part, on how inclusive they are in recovery decision-making and how mindful they are of cultural differences among disaster survivors and impacted groups.
Cultural competency can help emergency managers be as inclusive as possible. Cultural competency is the ability to respond respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures, classes, races, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and faiths or religions in a manner that recognizes, affirms, and values the worth of individuals, families, tribes, and communities, and protects and preserves the dignity of each.
A key component of cultural competence is being self-aware of potential biases. Some biases are easy to see in yourself, while other biases may be more subtle. If you establish recovery task forces or long-term recovery committees, take a hard look at the structure. Does everyone in the community have a representative involved and does that representative have an active voice in recovery decision-making and planning? Are you drawing them into the discussions? Do task force or committee structures quietly reinforce traditional gender roles or place more weight on representatives of one group more than another (men’s opinions more than women’s, for example)?
Include individuals with access and functional needs, such as people with limited English proficiency, in recovery decision-making. Plan with them instead of planning for them!
Watch for cultural differences and consider how different points of view can be an asset to your planning and the community’s acceptance of that plan. For example, in South Carolina, the Catawba Indian Nation was impacted by flooding. People of this federally recognized tribe have lived along the banks of the Catawba River for generations. Tribal communities may have social norms and communication styles distinct from the sometimes rushed culture of emergency management.
To manage the dynamics of cultural differences better, build rapport with disaster survivors and encourage health and social services providers with established community relationships to be proactive in seeking disaster assistance.
How much do you really know the community? The more you know, the more you can help with recovery. Did you know that many Hindus call South Carolina home? Did you know that South Carolina is home to Gullah (Sea Island Creole English) speakers, a language spoken by descendants of enslaved Africans who have preserved much of their linguistic and cultural heritage? Every state has unique cultural facets and traditions that should be respected in disaster recovery operations.
To be truly successful, recovery planning and activities should be adapted to fit the culture of the whole community. Emergency managers should avoid forcing a one-sized fits all recovery approach across the state. South Carolina, for example, has 46 home rule counties with established systems and networks to consider in recovery.
Like many states, South Carolina is home to urban, rural, and agricultural communities. Richland County, South Carolina, is home to approximately 400 farms and more than 60,000 acres of farmland used to produce grain, oilseeds, dry beans, dry peas, cotton and cottonseed, vegetables, other crops and hay.
The diverse needs of urban and rural communities will be need to be included for the state to fully recover.
Not sure where to start? The HHS Office of Minority Health’s Think Cultural Health initiative provides resources pertinent to emergency management and the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate services.
What is your community doing to incorporate cultural differences into health emergency planning and recovery decisions?
