Grantee Research Project Results
Building Resilience in Vulnerable Older Adult Communities Facing Increased Exposure Risks to Wastewater Contamination from Flooding in Puerto Rico
EPA Grant Number: R840040Title: Building Resilience in Vulnerable Older Adult Communities Facing Increased Exposure Risks to Wastewater Contamination from Flooding in Puerto Rico
Investigators: Ikuma, Kaoru
Institution: Iowa State University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2023 (Extended to July 31, 2024)
Project Amount: $800,000
RFA: Contaminated Sites, Natural Disasters, Changing Environmental Conditions and Vulnerable Communities: Research to Build Resilience (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Safer Chemicals , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The objective of this study is to gather data that will aid in building resilience in vulnerable populations against contamination risks posed by flooding. The underlying hypothesis is that even in vulnerable older adult communities exposed to natural disasters and resulting contamination, community-based risk reduction efforts can significantly decrease risk and increase the resilience of such populations especially when factors such as psychosocial vulnerabilities and the built environment are taken into consideration. Specifically, researchers are interested in improving the scientific understanding of how flooding results in elevated exposure risks to wastewater-related contaminants among older adults (Objective 1), determining what secondary/modifying psychosocial variables affect the vulnerability of older adults to risk posed by contaminant exposure (Objective 2), and learning how to build resilience in vulnerable communities with older adults by connecting the information gathered in the previous objectives (Objective 3).
Approach:
The objectives will be met through a combination of (1) fate and transport modeling of wastewater contaminants in flooding events to identify hotspots of contaminants and their relative proximity to vulnerable, older adult populations, (2) surveys and interviews to identify the socioeconomic vulnerabilities, social capital, and disaster housing risk and exposure in the impacted community, and (3) community-based risk reduction to build resilience in the vulnerable, older adult population within the impacted community. Specifically, the municipality of Loíza in Puerto Rico is chosen as the testbed for this project because of its susceptibility to flooding and its large population of older adults.
Expected Results:
The outputs of this project will provide spatial information on contamination, psychosocial, and infrastructure vulnerabilities to risks associated with flooding within the Loíza community, which will then be used to plan interventions for increasing resilience in the vulnerable, older adult populations. One key outcome of this work is an enhanced understanding of the connections between physical exposure to contamination from natural disasters, risks posed by psychosocial systems and the built environment, and effective methods for improving resilience in vulnerable communities.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 5 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 3 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
water, sensitive populations, decision making, sociological, engineeringProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.