Table 2. Outcome and condition set descriptions and operationalization

Outcome set	Description and data source	Calibration1)
General preparatory actions	Degree of membership in the set of counties that have in place the following hazard preparation practices aimed at the entire community:• Early warning emergency systems;• Backup electric supply for critical infrastructure;• An evacuation plan (source: ARISE Survey).	LT: no practicesHT: all three practicesCrossover: 1–2 practices
Targeted preparatory actions	Degree of membership in the set of counties that have in place the following preparation practices aimed specifically at vulnerable populations:• Early warning emergency system in multiple languages;• Safety net for low-income residents during extreme temperatures;• An evacuation plan for mobility-impaired or those without cars (source: ARISE Survey).	LT: no practicesHT: all three practicesCrossover: 1–2 practices

Condition set	Condition and data source	Calibration1)
Urban counties	Degree of membership in set of urban counties, based on population density classifications (source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates, 2024 and the University of Kansas Institute for Policy & Social Research).	LT: 2 (rural)HT: 5 (urban)Crossover: 4 (semi-urban)
Healthy financial condition	Degree of membership in the set of financially healthy counties, based on perceived financial condition on a 5-point scale, where =very poor and 5=excellent (source: ARISE Survey).	LT: 1 (very poor)HT: 5 (excellent)Crossover: 3 (fair)
Workforce sufficiency	Degree of membership in the set of counties that are able to maintain a sufficient workforce, based on a 5-point scale, where 1 indicates it has been extremely challenging to maintain a sufficient workforce and 5 indicating it has not been challenging at all (source: ARISE Survey).	LT: 1 (extremely)HT: 5 (not at all)Crossover: 3 (moderately)
Vulnerable populations	Degree of membership in the set of vulnerable counties, based on the percent of residents that are in poverty, over 75, and/or speak limited English (source: American Community Survey, 2016–2020).	LT: 182)HT: 28Crossover: 23
Leadership	Degree of membership in the set of counties whose “leaders value emergency management operations,” as determined by emergency managers “agreement” or “strong agreement” with that statement (source: ARISE Survey).	Not member: 0Member: 1Crossover: N/A

LT stands for “low threshold” and HT for “high threshold,” both of which must be established along with a crossover value for the to transform variables for use in fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA).
The threshold and crossover values for vulnerable populations were determined by natural breaks in the data. Notably, vulnerabilities are calculated cumulatively. Thus, an elderly low-income person who speaks limited English embodies all three vulnerabilities and is “counted” 3 times in the construction of this condition.