The Disaster Research Center (DRC) is undertaking a study of the preparedness and response patterns of lifeline organizations in community disasters. Under "lifeline" DRC is looking at groups usually known as public utilities (e.g., electric, gas, water, telephone companies), public works (e.g., streets and roads, sanitation and garbage, sewerage) and public transportation organizations (e.g., bus, subway, railway, taxicab companies). Their planning for and their emergency time actions in community wide crises emanating from disaster agents is being examined in on-site field studies. Data from intensive open ended interviewing, participant observing and document collecting are being gathered on the characteristics (structure and function) of lifeline organizations, their interorganizational relationships with other disaster relevant groups, the social factors or conditions which result in these features, and the consequences for both group and community preparedness and disaster management. Besides filling in a lacuna about disaster relevant groups, the research will allow an analysis of how the activities of lifeline organizations affect the planning and response of other local emergency oriented groups, and provide the complementary social science side to the work being done on the engineering and technical aspects of lifeline systems. Special attention will be given to earthquakes especially since lifeline systems are usually heavily impacted in such disasters.
