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Flooding and the ‘new normal’: what is the role of gender in experiences of post‐disaster ontological security?
Author(s) -
Haney Timothy J.,
GrayScholz Daran
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/disa.12372
Subject(s) - ontological security , flood myth , feeling , flooding (psychology) , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , set (abstract data type) , work (physics) , qualitative research , suicide prevention , qualitative property , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , psychology , social psychology , computer security , sociology , medicine , geography , engineering , medical emergency , computer science , social science , mechanical engineering , archaeology , psychotherapist , programming language , pathology , machine learning
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.