Factors Affecting Hurricane Evacuation Intentions.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Sociology

Background:

• Hurricane protective actions depend on context, individual traits, and motivations.
• Understanding factors influencing evacuation decisions is critical for public safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze predictors of hurricane evacuation intentions across different information contexts and geographical locations.
• To identify how individual characteristics and information sources affect evacuation decisions.

Main Methods:

• Survey data from Miami-Dade and Houston-Galveston areas were used.
• Regression analysis was employed to examine evacuation intentions based on various factors and information conditions (forecast vs. evacuation order).

Main Results:

• Evacuation intentions are positively associated with having an evacuation plan, prioritizing family safety, and perceiving home vulnerability to wind damage.
• Predictors varied by location (e.g., cultural worldviews in Florida) and information condition (e.g., age effects, information source reliance).
• Age influenced evacuation intentions differently depending on whether a forecast was seen or an evacuation order was received.

Conclusions:

• Hurricane information strategies should emphasize evacuation planning and highlighting residential vulnerability.
• Future research should explore how specific hurricane contexts shape decision-making processes.