Flooding and the 'new normal': what is the role of gender in experiences of post-disaster ontological security?

Publisher: Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7702072 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1467-7717 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03613666 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Disasters Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Oxford : Blackwell
Original Publication: Oxford, Elmsford, N. Y., Pergamon Press.

Disasters* ; Emotions* ; Floods*; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Object Attachment ; Qualitative Research ; Residence Characteristics ; Sex Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

Disaster researchers have long analysed disruption to affected residents' ontological security, often represented by routines and familiar landmarks. Surprisingly little of this work, though, assesses who is most likely to experience feelings of disruption. Using a representative set of survey data, complemented by follow-up interview data from 40 residents affected by the Southern Alberta Flood of June 2013, this paper explores how demographic characteristics, such as gender and place attachment, impact on residents' sense of disruption and loss. The findings indicate that women and people with stronger emotional and social ties to their neighbourhoods are most likely to experience disrupted ontological security; home flooding and evacuation orders are also significant predictors. The qualitative interview data reveal that many participants felt unsettled and disrupted by myriad factors, such as ongoing construction, which prevented them from establishing a 'new normal'. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for policymakers and service providers.
(© 2019 The Authors Disasters © 2019 Overseas Development Institute.)

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Keywords: Canada; disaster; gender; landmarks; ontological security; routines; stability

Date Created: 20190625 Date Completed: 20200325 Latest Revision: 20200325

20231215

10.1111/disa.12372

31231817