After Disaster Hits, Rural Communities Face Unique Challenges in Recovering

More than 60 million Americans—about 20% of the population—live in rural communities. Over the last decade, these communities, just like more populated ones, have seen an increasing number of costly, severe weather and climate disasters. After disasters hit, rural areas face some unique challenges that can make recovery difficult.

Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our recent work on these challenges.

Tornado damage in Mayfield, Kentucky—December 2021

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Why is recovering from a disaster hard for rural communities?

Rural communities may struggle to recover in the wake of a hurricane, wildfire, or other major disaster for a number of reasons, including:

Fewer resources or staff for emergency response. Because rural communities have smaller, sparser populations, they may lack resources needed to respond or the staff to manage the response. In addition, local officials may not be aware of federal resources or how to access them.

Communications challenges. Some rural areas have limited broadband and cellular services needed to coordinate their response. This also makes it difficult for the federal government to communicate to these communities and residents. And many applications for federal assistance must be submitted online. 

Remote and difficult terrain. While you may think of farmland, many rural communities are actually located in mountains or other hard-to-get-to locations. Having one road closed in some communities could potentially cut off supply routes. This same challenge could delay rebuilding.

Limited emergency housing. Rural communities also may have fewer housing options available for displaced residents. Unlike big cities, rural areas may not have as many hotels, which are often used to house those who have lost their homes to disasters. An influx of emergency responders and aid workers may further stress this issue. As a result, residents may need to travel farther to access temporary housing, further displacing families from their homes, schools, and jobs.

In our recent report, we outlined these challenges and more.  

Within rural communities, colonias have unique challenges after a disaster

Colonias are predominantly rural, Hispanic communities near the U.S.-Mexico border. In a recent report, we found that about 60% of these communities are located in areas prone to wildfires, and 95% are at high risk of flooding. 

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Unlike other rural or border communities, colonias have unique infrastructure needs that can make recovery from disasters more difficult. For example,

• Overcrowded homes are more common in colonias and natural disasters can put additional strain on the limited affordable housing options in these communities. 
   
• Some colonias do not have adequate water or wastewater infrastructure, such as a public water system or septic system. Flooding can further exacerbate these water quality concerns by damaging property and infrastructure.

The federal government has programs to assist colonias with infrastructure needs. But like other rural communities, colonias face challenges accessing and using federal assistance. In our report on colonias, we made recommendations to help the Department of Agriculture improve its assistance to these communities.

What more can be done to help rural communities recover after disaster strikes?

With the increasing number and cost of natural disasters, it is crucial to help rural communities respond to and recover after a disaster occurs.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) may not be the first agency that comes to mind when you think of disaster assistance. But SBA runs a very important program that offers low-interest disaster loans to help homeowners, renters, and small businesses rebuild and recover. After a disaster, SBA reaches out to these eligible survivors to share information on the disaster loans. 

But SBA may not be effectively communicating the availability of funding to rural communities. We spoke with some local officials at areas impacted by disasters, and they told us they were not aware of SBA disaster resources. We found that SBA does not specifically target rural communities with its outreach despite the unique challenges these communities face in accessing assistance. We made recommendations to SBA on how to improve their outreach to rural communities

Learn more about our work by reading our full reports on disaster assistance in rural communities and colonias communities.

• GAO’s fact-based, nonpartisan information helps Congress and federal agencies improve government. The WatchBlog lets us contextualize GAO’s work a little more for the public. Check out more of our posts at GAO.gov/blog.
   
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