Giving Compass' Take:

• A study found that the most effective way to prepare low-income communities for hurricanes was to put out information campaigns prior to hurricanes. 

• How can funders work to engage communities to educate them about hurricanes and other natural disasters before they are imminent? 

• Learn about disaster relief and recovery. 

Governments seeking to help their most vulnerable residents prepare for hurricanes and other disasters should create community-based information campaigns ahead of time, according to a Rutgers study of economically disadvantaged New Jerseyans in the areas hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy.

The study, published in the journal Disasters, found that 65 percent of economically vulnerable Sandy survivors intend to take active steps to protect themselves and families in advance of the next major disaster. Those steps include evacuating early or purchasing necessary supplies. Emergency response agencies can help by working with churches and other community organizations to learn about specific needs, such as transportation issues, in lower-income communities, the researchers found.

The researchers, at multiple Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences institutions, interviewed 599 people at federally qualified health centers, which serve uninsured and underinsured residents, in the counties most heavily damaged by Sandy. The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season began June 1.

Read the full article about preparing low-income communities for hurricanes at ScienceDaily.