Author ORCID Identifier
J. Mitchell Vaterlaus https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7139-1457
Abstract
The present study examined the impact of COVID-19 and recovery experiences among Family Consumer Science (FCS) Extension Agents in Montana. All participants (n = 10) completed a survey with fixed-item and open-ended responses, and six also participated in in-depth interviews. A deductive qualitative case study approach was used. Agent experiences were analyzed using The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) four action priorities: (1) understanding risk, (2) strengthening disaster risk governance, (3) investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience, and (4) enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “build back better” in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. Pandemic risks for Agents included the need to adapt in-person programming to be accessible online and the shift in content priorities. Agents reported low levels of well-being at the onset of the pandemic. Inconsistent policies for risk management from local, state, and federal sources proved difficult for FCS Agents to implement consistent programming. Navigating community member perspectives on the seriousness of COVID-19 was another struggle. Agents invested in increased communication and collaboration across Extension colleagues, which decreased some risks. After returning to in-person programming, most Agents reported “back to normal” operations in their counties, as well as higher levels of well-being.
Recommended Citation
Somerfeld, H. M.,
Vaterlaus, J.,
Wanago, N. C.,
Routh, B.,
&
Brennan, A.
(2025). COVID-19 Pandemic and Recovery Experiences: A Case Study with Montana Family and Consumer Science Cooperative Extension Agents.
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 13(1), 11.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55533/2325-5226.1531
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
