Determinants of Hurricane Evacuation from a Large Representative Sample of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Ibraheem M Karaye,Ashley D Ross,David P Retchless,Jennifer A Horney

doi:10.3390/ijerph16214268

Abstract

Exposure to natural disasters like hurricanes negatively impacts the mental and physical health of populations, and evacuation is an important step taken to prevent these adverse health events. This study uses data from a large representative sample of U.S. Gulf Coast residents to explore the determinants of hurricane evacuation. In December 2017, data were collected from 3030 residents of the U.S. Gulf Coast, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida—2557 of whom reported being impacted during the 2017 hurricane season. Bivariate analyses were conducted using prevalence differences and tested for statistical significance with chi-square tests. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with hurricane evacuation. One-third of the respondents (919 of 2557; 35.9%) evacuated from a hurricane that impacted the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2017. The determinants of hurricane evacuation in this population were: residing in a mobile home, higher perception of storm surge risk, higher perception of wind risk, self-sufficiency, carrying flood insurance, and reliance on media and family for evacuation decisions. These findings may be relevant for reducing the adverse health effects of hurricanes by improving emergency planning and evacuation in this highly vulnerable region.

Highlights

Hurricanes can have a devastating toll on an exposed population’s health due to the direct and indirect effects of flooding, storm surge, tornadoes, and damaging winds [1,2]
Even with the known health benefits associated with evacuation as an emergency management intervention, some residents do not evacuate in the face of a landfalling hurricane [10]
While some studies report that non-media sources like family, friends, and the government are associated with hurricane evacuation [24,25], others have shown that the media exert a more significant influence on hurricane evacuation decision [17,26]

Summary

Introduction

Hurricanes can have a devastating toll on an exposed population’s health due to the direct and indirect effects of flooding, storm surge, tornadoes, and damaging winds [1,2]. The association between environmental cues in the form of mobile home residence and risky geographic location are well documented in the literature. Studies have found residents of mobile homes are more likely to evacuate an impending storm [20,21,22,23]. Similar to mobile home residence, living in a high risk area, such as near water, has been shown to be associated with hurricane evacuation, as individuals are often conscious of their proximity to the coast and increased likelihood of being impacted by a hurricane’s storm surge or associated flooding [10,17,18]. While some studies report that non-media sources like family, friends, and the government are associated with hurricane evacuation [24,25], others have shown that the media exert a more significant influence on hurricane evacuation decision [17,26]

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