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Variations in disaster evacuation behavior: public responses versus private sector executive decision-making
1Department of Sociology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208-0209, USA.
Disasters
|October 21, 2010
Summary
Tourism executives engage in disaster evacuation planning, with responses to warnings influenced by authorities. Evacuation behavior differs based on planning, priorities, shelter, looting concerns, and media contact.
Area of Science:
- Disaster Management
- Business Continuity
- Emergency Response
Background:
- Tourism firms face unique disaster risks.
- Understanding executive response to warnings is crucial for business continuity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare tourism executive responses to disaster warnings with public response literature.
- To identify differences in disaster evacuation planning and behavior.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 65 executives from tourism firms in three communities.
- Compared findings with existing public warning response literature.
Main Results:
- Nearly all executives reported disaster evacuation planning, but with variability.
- Managerial warning responses mirrored public responses, with authority contact influencing sources and confirmation.
- Key differences in evacuation behavior included planning influence, firm vs. family priorities, shelter selection, looting concerns, and media contact.
Conclusions:
- Tourism executive disaster planning and response show similarities and differences compared to the general public.
- Authority contact significantly impacts warning interpretation and confirmation.
- Firm-specific factors uniquely shape disaster evacuation behavior in the tourism sector.
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