An Exploratory Analysis of the First Long-Term Recovery Group in Delaware

• In Event: 50620 - Section on Environmental Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Disasters, Communication, and Preparedness

Abstract

This paper focuses on the complexities, resiliency, and accomplishments of the 501 C-3 nonprofit, the Eleventh Street Bridge Community Long-Term Recovery Group (ESBC-LTRG), which is Delaware's first long-term recovery group. The ESBC-LTRG was founded in the fall of 2021 in Wilmington, Delaware, following the monumental destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Ida. Headed by a resident whose home was impacted, the ESBC-LTRG has been operating as a non-profit organization since the summer of 2022 to bring the over 250 residents who were affected or displaced by the storm back to a safe and secure means of daily living.
There is a significant emphasis on preparation and response within emergency management and disaster sociology, leaving much to be desired regarding recovery, especially long-term recovery (Ingram et al., 2006; Blackman et al., 2017). This lack of attention to long-term recovery in the literature and practice of emergency management response leads to a gap between the ideal tenets of long-term recovery and the implementation of these components (Blackman et al., 2017). Therefore, I conducted a community-based research project through qualitative interviews with the ESBC-LTRG. This paper sheds light on the impacts of designating long-term recovery to community members with a severe lack of resources, funding, and assistance to their success. Despite these challenges, this paper also seeks to share knowledge that has been foundational to the ESBC-LTRG’s success, potentially lessening the burden for future LTRGs to come.

Authors

• Sydney Dyck, University of Delaware

• Julie Elliott, University of Delaware, The Disaster Research Center