UB Researchers to study October storm’s emergency response

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have been awarded a $30,000 grant by the National Science Foundation to study the experiences of first and second emergency responders during the Oct. 12 snowstorm.

The researchers will examine a critical issues in effective disaster mitigation: whether the functioning of emergency responders is impaired significantly when they are worried about their own safety and safety of their families. “Our first goal is to study the

effectiveness of first responders in the context of emotional pressures,” H.R. Rao, Ph.D., professor of management science and systems in the UB School of Management and principal investor in the project. “This natural disaster provided a unique time limited opportunity to examine and understand the difference between the different groups of first responders.”

The group will work under the umbrella of UB’s Center of Excellence in Information Systems Assurance Research and Education.

Disaster planning, response and mitigation are components of UB’s research focus on “extreme events” identified as one of the university’s strategic strengths by the UB 2020 strategic-planning process.

Western New York’s unprecedented October 2006 snowstorm resulted in extensive devastation, with major portions of the region experiencing prolonged power outages. Yet, despite the widespread problems, pockets of the region remained unaffected. This resulted in a mix of first responders, some of whom were affected by the disaster either directly or indirectly (families and significant others) and some who were not affected.

In addition to the first responders, the recovery effort was supported by second responders such as the National Guard, which arrived days after the event.

“First responders who were personally affected by the storm will be compared with those who were not affected, as well as with the second responders such as the National Guard, on measurers including psychological distress and its effect on decision making, Rao said.

Other goals of the project include determining how and when first responders shifted from normal incident response patterns to disaster-level patterns and whether perceptions had changed among first responders after they experienced the unprecedented storm.

“Prior research has shown that populations that have not experienced major disasters tend to believe they are less vulnerable and better prepared than their peers in disaster prone areas,” he said. “However, less is known about how perceptions change if these same populations encounter a disastrous event.”