Resiliency fatigue for rural residents following repeated natural hazard exposure

The world is facing an increase in hazards by rate and intensity in part due to climate change. Unfortunately, the horrific devastation of environmental hazards is felt greater by marginalized populations. The time has come for policies to abate the harmful effects of climate change by challenging the use and normalcy of terms like resilience. In this study, the authors used grounded theory to assess an alternative perspective of resilience: resilience fatigue. The authors interviewed 20 respondents from rural Eastern North Carolina who described their interpretation of resilience after Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2018). Consistency in responses defined resiliency fatigue as, (1) physical and emotional exhaustion, (2) relentlessness toward normalcy, and (3) anxiety and fear of future hazards. Ultimately, residents provided their long-term solutions around facing hurricanes and expressing their agency on what a just-recovery resembles for their community

Environmental health · Environmental planning · Geography · Hazard · Natural disaster · Natural hazard · Environmental Science · Medicine · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Ecology