Isolation (cultural, geographic, or social)
People can be isolated if they live in rural areas or in the middle of a densely populated urban core. There are many ways people might be considered isolated, including:
- Rural populations include ranchers, farmers, and people who live in sparsely populated communities. Rural areas can have special communication challenges, such as dependence on satellite television, which does not always provide local channels or news. Additionally, radio stations have moved to a canned commercial feed in many communities and might not be useful for dispensing local information in an emergency.
- In urban areas, people can be isolated because of language, lack of education, cultural practices, chronic health problems, fear, lack of transportation or access to public transit systems, unemployment, and other factors. Even if they have access to mass media, they might not have the means to respond to emergency directives.
- Temporary residents can be a major population for many communities, but there are big differences in the types of temporary residents: people living on a military base, students, tourists, or seasonal farm workers, for example.
- Undocumented immigrants are foreign-born persons who reside in the United States and have not yet achieved legal residency. These individuals might consciously avoid interaction with social and public agencies.
- Single parents and caregivers face challenges because they have no one to share their responsibilities to care for those who are dependent on them. This increased responsibility can impair their ability to plan for emergencies or carry out public health directives, and it can be emotionally overwhelming.
- Religious and cultural practices may reduce the likelihood of certain groups receiving emergency communications. For example, mass media communications would be ineffective for reaching Amish and Mennonite communities, which usually do not have televisions or radios.
