Browsing by Author "Tyler, Jenna"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Decision Making for Managing Community Flood Risks: Perspectives of United States Floodplain Managers
    (Springer, 2021-10) Tyler, Jenna; Sadiq, Abdul-Akeem; Noonan, Douglas S.; Entress, Rebecca M.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    To reduce flood losses, floodplain managers make decisions on how to effectively manage their community’s flood risks. While there is a growing body of research that examines how individuals and households make decisions to manage their flood risks, far less attention has been directed at understanding the decision-making processes for flood management at the community level. This study aimed to narrow this research gap by examining floodplain managers’ perceptions of the quality of their community’s flood management decision-making processes. Data gathered from interviews with 200 floodplain managers in the United States indicate that most floodplain managers perceive their community’s flood management decision-making processes to be good. The results also indicate that communities participating in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System, as well as communities with a higher level of concern for flooding and a lower poverty rate, are significantly more likely to report better flood management decision-making processes.
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    Employees’ Perceptions of Workplace Preparedness for Climate Change-Related Natural Hazards
    (Wiley, 2016-06) Sadiq, Abdul-Akeem; Ollier, Meredith; Tyler, Jenna; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Despite climate change being identified as a current or future risk for organizations, researchers have yet to understand employees’ perceptions of their workplaces’ preparedness for climate change-related natural hazards (cc hazards) such as floods and wildfires. The purpose of this preliminary study is to describe the current state of workplace preparedness for cc hazards and to ascertain whether workplace preparedness for cc hazards aligns with state hazard priorities for cc hazards. Using data collected in 2014 from an online, national survey of 2,008 employees in the United States, the results indicate that workplaces are moderately prepared for cc hazards. In addition, there is a slight mismatch between workplace preparedness and state preparedness priorities for cc hazards. This study contributes to the literature on organizational preparedness for cc hazards by providing insights on the current state of workplace preparedness—from the perspectives of employees—for natural hazards associated with the global threat known as climate change. The paper concludes with a policy recommendation and provides an outline for future research on organizational preparedness for cc hazards.
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    Participation and non-participation in FEMA's Community Rating System (CRS) program: Insights from CRS coordinators and floodplain managers
    (Elsevier, 2020-09) Sadiq, Abdul-Akeem; Tyler, Jenna; Noonan, Douglas; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Given that floods cause the greatest economic impact and affect more communities annually than any other natural hazard, there is a compelling need to better understand how communities can enhance their resilience to future flood disasters. One mechanism for enhancing communities' resilience to future flood disasters is through participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS). The CRS is a federal voluntary program that incentivizes communities in the United States to implement floodplain management activities that exceed those required under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In exchange for engaging in additional floodplain management activities, policyholders residing in CRS-participating communities receive discounts in their flood insurance premiums. To better understand the factors driving CRS participation, this study uses propensity score matching to match 100 randomly selected CRS participating communities with 100 non-CRS participating communities. Data gathered from CRS coordinators and floodplain managers indicate several factors are responsible for why communities participate, continue to participate, or do not participate the CRS. The main reason for participating in the CRS and continuing to participate is the reduction in flood insurance premiums, while the main reason for not joining the CRS is lack of resources (staff, funding, and time).
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    A review of community flood risk management studies in the United States
    (Elsevier, 2019-12) Sadiq, Abdul-Akeem; Tyler, Jenna; Noonan, Douglas S.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Given the substantial and diverse body of research on community flood risk management in the United States, there is a need to establish the current state of knowledge, synthesize the methodological dimensions of community flood risk management studies, and identify directions for future research on community flood risk management. The present study addresses these needs by conducting a comprehensive and systematic review of community flood risk management empirical studies in the United States. We searched three academic databases and identified 60 studies that met our selection criteria (e.g., study must be focused on flood risk management at the community level and conducted in the United States). Findings indicate that the number of studies on community flood risk management is increasing, most studies employ flood mitigation and flood impact as their dependent variables, the preferred analytical method is regression, and this literature is dominated by social scientists, among other findings. We discuss six themes that emerge, present four recommendations based on the gaps identified, and outline a robust research agenda for enhancing communities' resilience to future flood disasters.
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    A review of the community flood risk management literature in the USA: lessons for improving community resilience to floods
    (Springer, 2019) Tyler, Jenna; Sadiq, Abdul-Akeem; Noonan, Douglas S.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    This study systematically reviews the diverse body of research on community flood risk management in the USA to identify knowledge gaps and develop innovative and practical lessons to aid flood management decision-makers in their efforts to reduce flood losses. The authors discovered and reviewed 60 studies that met the selection criteria (e.g., study is written in English, is empirical, focuses on flood risk management at the community level in the USA, etc.). Upon reviewing the major findings from each study, the authors identified seven practical lessons that, if implemented, could not only help flood management decision-makers better understand communities’ flood risks, but could also reduce the impacts of flood disasters and improve communities’ resilience to future flood disasters. These seven lessons include: (1) recognizing that acquiring open space and conserving wetlands are some of the most effective approaches to reducing flood losses; (2) recognizing that, depending on a community’s flood risks, different development patterns are more effective at reducing flood losses; (3) considering the costs and benefits of participating in FEMA’s Community Rating System program; (4) engaging community members in the flood planning and recovery processes; (5) considering socially vulnerable populations in flood risk management programs; (6) relying on a variety of floodplain management tools to delineate flood risk; and (7) ensuring that flood mitigation plans are fully implemented and continually revised.
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    Variations in public and private employees’ perceptions of organizational preparedness for natural disasters
    (Taylor & Francis, 2016) Sadiq, Abdul-Akeem; Tyler, Jenna; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Studies have demonstrated that public and private organizations differ in many respects (e.g. funding mechanisms and risk-taking capabilities). Based on this scholarship, we expect to see differences in their disaster preparedness levels. Hence, we propose the following research question: Are there variations in public and private employees’ perceptions of organizational preparedness for natural disasters? We answer this question by employing the theories of publicness and social identity. We define publicness through the core approach arguing that public and private organizations are uniquely different based on their legal status or ownership and social identity as an individual’s feeling of oneness or belongingness to a particular group or organization. Using data gathered in 2014 from a nationally representative sample of 1634 public and private employees in the United States, we posit that employees of private organizations will report higher preparedness levels in comparison to employees of public organizations. Our proposition is based on scholarship that found a negative relationship between publicness and organizational identification and a positive relationship between organizational identification and organizational performance. Contrary to our proposition, but in line with the disaster literature, the results showed that in general, employees of public organizations reported a higher preparedness level than employees of private organizations.