Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Linda Day

Abstract

Because transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area is increasingly dependent on electricity, factors such as limited electricity storage capacity and nontransferability of batteries between vehicles need to be considered by emergency response planners (ERPs). The purpose of this study was to investigate planning for providing the power to provide emergency transportation for hospital staff/administration and those injured after earthquakes. The research questions of transportation need of emergency staff and patients after an earthquake and differences between Bay Area cities and counties in considering transportation needs were addressed in this qualitative study utilizing a collective case study to assess electric vehicle use as articulated in 48 public emergency management and health agency documents that discussed post-disaster transportation planning. Norris, Stevens, Pfefferbaum, Wyche, and Pfefferbaum's community resilience theory served as the theoretical lens for analyzing the impacts of electric transportation on hospitals. Some ERPs included transportation fuel in their documents, whereas ERPs specifically focused on transportation did not. The review, coding, and analysis yielded 2 primary themes: fuel for emergency planning is focused primarily on fuel for generators, with few documents discussing fuel for transportation; many documents lack currency with 28 updated before 2015 or not having an identifiable date. Community resilience from disruption is likely to lead to a state of vulnerability as well as a disconnection between community resilience theory and ERP planning. The implication for positive social change is to help Bay Area ERPs understand how to increase community resilience by including adaptation to changes in transportation fuel sources in their plans.

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