ABSTRACT
Communities are, in fact, likely to consist of levels of diversity that are not easily realized without thorough analysis using census and other demographic data, as well as methods providing more accuracy such as face-to-face counts of homeless citizens; citizens estranged from partners, spouses, or families; and citizens living in shelters. Most importantly, citizens’ capabilities to prepare for, survive, and recover from disasters are strongly inuenced by personal factors that are dynamic and difcult to count or understand using cross-sectional methods like demographic surveys. At any point in time, citizens’ capabilities and vulnerabilities change and may do so in signicant ways. For example, citizens are constantly aging, experiencing accidents, or living with diseases or syndromes. As a consequence, communities are always in ux in terms of the number of individuals who are experiencing challenges that introduce sensory, perceptual, mobility, and cognitive impairments.
