Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2023
Keywords
Communications/decision-making, COVID-19, Emergency preparedness, Health, Hurricanes/typhoons, Social science
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-22-0114.1
Abstract
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, decision-making during disasters fundamentally changed to accommodate the combined risks of hurricanes and infectious diseases. Prior research conducted in 2020 by Collins et al. examined how individuals changed their intended evacuation decision-making during the pandemic or their actual evacuation decisions during Hurricanes Laura and Sally. Hurricane Ida provided further data on evacuation decision-making when vaccinations and masks were widely available. A digital survey was disseminated to individuals affected by Hurricane Ida in 2021. Respondents provided information about their actual evacuation choices and perceptions of public shelters and COVID-19 risks. In comparison with the 2020 hurricane season, more individuals have reduced negative perceptions of hurricane shelters. However, individuals were less likely to utilize public shelters than in the 2020 season, with 11.4% more individuals stating they would definitely or probably avoid using shelters in 2021. Fewer individuals identified that COVID-19 was a primary reason they chose to stay home during Hurricane Ida (19.5% as compared with 86.8% during Hurricanes Laura and Sally). Furthermore, respondents with health risks for severe COVID-19 symptoms were no more likely to evacuate than those respondents who had no health risks. Potentially, as the pandemic progressed and vaccine availability and COVID-19 management improved, COVID-19 has had less impact on evacuation decision-making. The results from this work should guide planners in emergency management and public health in future hurricane seasons and future pandemics or other outbreaks to anticipate behavior changes and properly manage infectious disease threats.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
true
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Weather, Climate, and Society, v. 15, no. 3, p. 541-555.
© Copyright July 1, 2023 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this Work, please contact permissions@ametsoc.org. Any use of material in this Work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require the AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, requires written permission or a license from the AMS. All AMS journals and monograph publications are registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (https://www.copyright.com). Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement, available on the AMS website (https://www.ametsoc.org/PUBSCopyrightPolicy).
Scholar Commons Citation
Polen, Amy; Collins, Jennifer; Dunn, Elizabeth; Murphy, Stephen; Jernigan, Isabelle; McSweeney, Killian; and Zhu, Yi Jie, "How Post-Immunization COVID-19 Context Affected Residents’ Evacuation Behavior during Hurricane Ida" (2023). School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications. 2388.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/geo_facpub/2388