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Managing Tsunami Risk: Social Context Influences on Preparedness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2012

Douglas Paton ,
Bruce F. Houghton ,
Chris E. Gregg ,
David McIvor ,
David M. Johnston ,
Petra Bürgelt ,
Penny Larin ,
Duane A. Gill ,
Liesel A. Ritchie  and
Steven Meinhold
...Show all authors
Douglas Paton*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Australia. Douglas.Paton@utas.edu.au
Bruce F. Houghton
Affiliation:
Geology & Geophysics, University of Hawaii, United States of America.
Chris E. Gregg
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, East Tennessee State University, United States of America.
David McIvor
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Australia.
David M. Johnston
Affiliation:
Joint Centre for Disaster Research, Massey University/GNS Science, New Zealand.
Petra Bürgelt
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Massey University, New Zealand.
Penny Larin
Affiliation:
Geology & Geophysics, University of Hawaii, United States of America.
Duane A. Gill
Affiliation:
Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University, United States of America.
Liesel A. Ritchie
Affiliation:
The Evaluation Center, Western Michigan University, United States of America.
Steven Meinhold
Affiliation:
Political Science, University of North Carolina, United States of America.
Jennifer Horan
Affiliation:
Political Science, University of North Carolina, United States of America.
*
*Address for correspondence: Douglas Paton, School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Launceston TAS 7250, Australia.

Abstract

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This article describes the testing of a model that proposes that people's beliefs regarding the effectiveness of hazard preparedness interact with social context factors (community participation, collective efficacy, empowerment and trust) to influence levels of hazard preparedness. Using data obtained from people living in coastal communities in Alaska and Oregon that are susceptible to experiencing tsunami, structural equation modelling analyses confirmed the ability of the model to help account for differences in levels of tsunami preparedness. Analysis revealed that community members and civic agencies influence preparedness in ways that are independent of the information provided per se. The model suggests that, to encourage people to prepare, outreach strategies must (a) encourage community members to discuss tsunami hazard issues and to identify the resources and information they need to deal with the consequences a tsunami would pose for them and (b) ensure that the community-agency relationship is complementary and empowering.

Keywords

tsunamicommunityempowermenttrustpreparedness
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , 01 May 2009 , pp. 27 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009