RAPID/Collaborative Research: Examining Household Movements and Evacuation Decision-Making in a Compounding Risk Event

Selecting protective actions in response to hurricane threats can be a challenging process for households. Adding to the complexity of this process are the risks stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the compounding risks posed by lingering utility outages, high heat, and the remnants of Hurricane Nicholas in the weeks following Hurricane Ida. While many studies have examined protective action decisions of households in response to natural and human-induced risks, less is known about this process in instances where households face simultaneous disasters and compounding risks. The purpose of this Grants for Rapid Response Research (RAPID) collaborative project is to examine household protective action decisions during two simultaneous events: Hurricane Ida and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Time-sensitive data gathered through online, phone, and mail surveys and supplemented with GPS/mobile phone data will be used to examine household protective action decision-making and mobility patterns before, during, and after Hurricane Ida. The findings from this project are expected to save lives and minimize stress during evacuations and return trips. Additionally, the findings of the research will benefit the emergency management community and society as new knowledge related to protective action decisions during simultaneous hazard events can help maximize safety and efficiency in coordinating and managing the movements of displaced residents.

Decisions pertaining to whether one evacuates or shelters, where to evacuate to, and when to return after a disaster all entail consideration of multiple factors related to risks, warning messages, household socio-demographic characteristics, and available resources. While numerous studies examine these decisions in the context of a single hazard scenario, very little is known as to how protective action decisions are selected during simultaneous disaster events. Furthermore, the nature of tradeoffs and their impact on decisions during dual risk scenarios are not well understood. The goal of this study is to collect ephemeral data to examine household decision-making during Hurricane Ida and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. By advancing the Protective Action Decision Model, this study will gather household data using surveys and GPS mobile phone data that will allow the understanding of three primary research questions: 1. How do households make evacuation, sheltering, post-event relocation and return-entry decisions during simultaneous disasters? 2. What factors influence evacuation and return-entry timing and the selection of evacuation destinations? Similarly, what factors influence shelter-in-place decisions? 3. What is the nature of the multiple movements undertaken by households throughout the response and short-term recovery process? This project will advance theory pertaining to protective action decision-making during simultaneous disaster events and provide important insights into how risk tradeoffs inform these decisions. Specifically, new knowledge will be generated through: 1) gathering ephemeral data of household movements and protective action decisions undertaken during Hurricane Ida and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in order to advance understanding of this dynamic process; 2) documenting locations household move to during the disaster response and short-term recovery phases and why these locations were selected, and 3) providing new insights into how households perceive the tradeoffs in risks when making decisions during simultaneous disasters. Findings from this study will offer a more nuanced understanding of household decisions and movements in response to disasters and provide better insight into the experiences of displaced households during and after disasters.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.