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After a disaster, community consensus is at its highest. This suggests that geographic distance is a barrier to coordination. This study found that geographic distance is negatively related to links among organizations, but most of this relationship is accounted for by organizational variables, including geographic service range, volunteerism, and appreciation shown to volunteers. Organizations with a local orientation have lower levels of volunteerism. Compared to emergency management organization, social service organizations have larger geographic service ranges, a less localistic orientation, and more network links. This study suggests that social service organizations promote resource redistribution and network coordination, whereas emergency management organizations with limited service ranges tend to block resource redistribution and limit volunteer participation.

Many persons with a disability are not prepared to evacuate in disasters. Subjects (N = 710) from 7 U.S. states responded to a survey measuring level of social support in a crisis, number of organizational memberships, frequency of personal assistance services, and evacuation preparedness. A hierarchical regression, controlling for degree of limitation from disability, shows that informal social support (β = .345), voluntary memberships (β = .106), and personal assistance frequency (β = .113) are statistically significant (p < .01) predictors of preparedness (R = .383, R(2) = .148). Interventions that increase the levels of these supports increase disaster preparedness.