Information management and the return-entry process: Examining information needs, sources, and strategies after Superstorm Sandy
Introduction
Emergency managers utilize a variety of information when formulating protective action recommendations and managing risks during and after a disaster [[1], [2], [3]]. During the response and short-term recovery phases, emergency managers require information about the nature and extent of disaster impacts and secondary hazards, location of disaster survivors needing assistance, magnitude of damage to the communities, and statuses related to the restoration of services and infrastructure [4,5]. Despite these vital information needs, the acquisition and transmission of information after an event may be challenging, especially in circumstances where communities experience disruptions and damage to utilities and communication infrastructure [6]. Additionally, because disasters are non-routine events, they often introduce uncertainties into the decision-making process, as emergency managers may need to make timely decision based on limited or incomplete information [[7], [8], [9]].
Both the public and emergency management (EM) organizations participate in information management activities to acquire information, overcome uncertainties, and to guide their actions during and after a crisis. Information management is defined as “… the various stages of information processing from production to storage and retrieval to dissemination in order to facilitate work of an organization; information can be from internal and external sources and in any format” (AIM, 2005 as cited in OCHA, 2006) [10, p.2]. Information management is an important aspect of emergency management, as timely and accurate information is crucial in reducing disaster-related uncertainties. Within this process, individuals often undertake activities such as seeking information, evaluating the content, and using the gathered information to make decisions that protect people and property [[11], [12], [13]]. Although numerous studies have focused on information seeking and source reliance behaviors of individuals and households [[14], [15], [16]] the examination of information management behaviors of EM organizations post-disaster has gained less scholarly attention. The purpose of this paper is to examine the information management strategies of EM organizations while overseeing the initial return-entry movement of residents back to their homes following Superstorm Sandy. The paper first reviews prior literature on information management and is then followed by the method and the results section. Finally, the findings are discussed, and recommendations are offered for effective information management after a disaster.
Section snippets
Literature review
Information is crucial for the management of hazards and disasters. While timely and accurate information fosters effective response and recovery activities, the lack of information can compromise the safety of the public and the first responders and delay post-impact activities.
Disaster information enables the public and the emergency managers to overcome uncertainties and guides them in decision-making related to response and recovery activities [10,12].
At the organizational level, some
Event
This study aims to provide insights into the local EM organization's information needs, sources, and information management strategies during the initial return movement following Sandy. Superstorm Sandy made landfall in the U.S. on October 29, 2012 near Brigantine, New Jersey. Communities along the Jersey shore, especially those in Ocean, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties, experienced severe flooding to the barrier islands and mainland areas near the coastal bay as a result of the storm surge [
Results
The data analysis yielded five themes pertaining to the information management behaviors of the EM organizations. The themes include: 1) Information Needs, 2) Information Sources, 3) Information Seeking Behavior, 4) Information Exchange, and 5) Applying Information for Return-Entry Decisions. Table 2 presents these five themes along with their definitions and associated sub-themes.
Discussion
Effective management following a disaster requires that local EM organizations possess timely, accurate, and relevant information. The results of this study indicated information on secondary hazards, damage sustained to community, infrastructure status, utility update, and other information to be critical in the management of post-event risks and in the development of return-entry strategies. As such, information management strategies were used in order to acquire information, meet specific
Conclusion
Information management is crucial in order to assess disaster risks and to guide emergency management activities. This study advanced the understanding on information needs and information seeking strategies of EM organizations during the return phase. However, this study has some limitations that should be considered when generalizing the findings of this study. First, the interviews were conducted in Spring 2015, which was two and half years after Superstorm Sandy. Hence, informants may have
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgements
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors are thankful to the twenty-five emergency management officials for their participation in this study. The authors are also grateful to the reviewers for their helpful feedback on the manuscript.
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