Geography and Resilience

Abstract

As with most response and recovery efforts, context is everything. Differences in social, political, geographic and economic structures necessitate attention. For Florida, the geographic composition brings about various disaster and hazard vulnerabilities. Moreover, the field of emergency management becomes impacted in resilience capabilities. The belief of a one-size-fits-all approach decreases effectiveness of mitigation efforts and negatively impacts each community (Cutter SL, Emrich CT, ANN Am Acad Polit Soc Sci 604:102--112, 2006; Cutter SL, Barnes L, Berry M, Burton C, Evans E, Tate E, Webb J, Glob Environ Chang 18(4):598--606, 2008; Schwab J, Hazard mitigation: integrating best practices into planning. Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/19261, 2011). This chapter looks to understand the impact of geography on disasters and hazards while also increasing awareness of Florida-specific vulnerability and resiliency issues.