2012 Theses Master's

A local approach to emergency management: knowledge dissemination and household preparedness in central Massachusetts

Lavelle, Erin

Current literature regarding a planner's role in emergency preparedness falls short in delivering specific recommendations on how they can disseminate information and truly involve the community in order to prepare for a potential hazard. This thesis will investigate how planners reach out to the community and disseminate knowledge and resources at the local level, using Central Massachusetts as the principal place of study. The thesis will explain the number of approaches that urban planners and emergency managers are currently taking to reach out to a community and ensure that every household is well educated and prepared for any potential hazard in their area. Based on the experience of Central Massachusetts, this thesis hopes to provide recommendations that can be generalized to planners who are hoping to deepen hazard preparedness in other locals. Emphasis will be placed on the challenges of reaching every household, as well as the recommendations for local municipalities, emergency mangers and urban planners for ways in which they can improve the process.