The purpose of the EJ Strong Project
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and its partners worked together to develop a holistic Community-Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) training piloted with participants from communities around SC. Many of the participants were residents in EJ neighborhoods in Charleston and Richland Counties, SC. EJ Strong focused on the following hazards: hurricanes, flooding, chemical releases, and pandemics. The overall goals was to empower EJ communities, build capacity within neighborhoods to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters all while strengthening community resiliency. The training was designed to focus on ecosystems and the causes, effects, extent, prevention, reduction, and possible elimination of water and air pollution following disasters.
Select communities participated in field practicums, including the Lower Richland Community.
Partners Included: SC Department of Health and Environmental Controls (DHEC); Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities; Clemson: College of Behavioral Social Sciences; College of Charleston: Center for Coastal Environmental & Human Health; U of SC: Arnold School of Public Health. and the Congaree National Park.
