<aside> <img src="/icons/document_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/document_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> From: Pfefferbaum, R. L., Pfefferbaum, B., Van Horn, R. L., Klomp, R. W., Norris, F. H., & Reissman, D. B. (2013). The communities advancing resilience toolkit (CART): An intervention to build community resilience to disasters. Journal of public health management and practice, 19(3), 250-258.
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CART_Toolkit_2013_Pfefferbaum_Klomp.pdf
CART is a community intervention that brings stakeholders together to address community issues through assessment, group processes, planning, and action. The intervention encourages and supports communication, public engagement in the identification of local issues, problem solving, resource sharing, and the development and proper application of local assets to address community needs…
CART was originally based on 7 community attributes borrowed from the theory on community capacity and competence in the social psychology and public health literatures17-22 : (1) connectedness, commitment, and shared values; (2) participation; (3) support and nurturance; (4) structure, roles, and responsibilities; (5) resources; (6) critical reflection and skill building; and (7) communication. Using field testing, key informant interviews, and factor analysis, the Terrorism and Disaster Center refined these attributes and identified 4 overlapping domains (R. L. Pfefferbaum, B. R. Neas, B. Pfefferbaum, F. H. Norris, R. L. Van Horn, 2012, unpublished data) that both describe and help create capacity for community resilience and that form the foundation for CART. The 4 domains—connection and caring, resources, transformative potential, and disaster management—are described below.
This domain includes relatedness, shared values, participation, support systems, and equity. A sense of belonging and commitment to community likely are strengthened by the perception that one’s personal well-being is enhanced by affiliation with the community. Participation in community organizations and activities can strengthen the sense of belonging, ownership, and personal investment. Communities that facilitate and actively foster involvement of members may better identify and address issues through cooperation and civic engagement. Supportive and nurturing communities address needs of diverse members (eg, across a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds) and they can instill hope during personal and community crises.
This domain includes natural, physical, information, human, social, and financial resources. Resilient communities acquire, invest in, allocate, and use resources effectively to serve members and the community at large. A community’s resource base should include sufficient diverse and redundant resources to permit essential community operations to be maintained even in the event of major disruptions. Community structure, roles, and responsibilities can create the capacity for preparedness and decisive, timely response to crises. In a highly uncertain, all-hazards environment, structural elements must permit flexibility in addressing unforeseen vulnerabilities and threats.
This domain includes the ability of communities to identify and frame collective experiences, examine their successes and failures, assess their performance, and engage in critical analysis. This analysis helps community leaders establish goals, make decisions, and develop and implement strategies that enhance the community and its members. Coupled with skill building at individual, family, organizational, and systemic levels, critical analysis and collective action provide a force and essential mechanisms for transformation.
This domain includes disaster prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. It includes activities to avoid or control a crisis, reduce risks to people and property, and lessen actual or potential adverse effects. If implemented before, during, or after an incident, mitigation seeks to decrease the likelihood of, exposure to, or loss from hazardous events. Preparedness is a continuing process that identifies threats, assesses vulnerabilities, determines resource requirements, plans appropriate actions, and assembles necessary resources. Disaster response addresses the direct, short-term effects of an incident including efforts to limit damage during or immediately after a disaster, to support basic human needs, and to maintain or restore the affected community. The relatively short-term response phase transitions to a longer period of recovery and reconstruction during which survivors rebuild their lives and their community.
The 4 community resilience domains are interrelatedand share some properties. For example, communication is an important element of all 4 domains: (1) communication is a mechanism for fostering connection and caring; (2) communication channels are part of a community’s resource base; (3) communication is necessary to transmit information that enables critical reflection, skill building, and transformation; and (4) communication is fundamental for effective disaster management.