The Impact of Information and Risk Perception on the Hurricane Evacuation Decision-Making of Greater New Orleans Residents

Bibliographic Data

ID2154669
AuthorsRandolph Burnside (Southern Illinois University Carbondale, corresponding author), Demond S Miller (0000-0003-3368-4296, Rowan University), Jason D Rivera (0000-0001-6853-615X, Rowan University)
Year2007
Volume27
Issue6
Pages727-740
Publication date2007-09-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Spectrum (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0273-2173 • E-ISSN: 1521-0707
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02732170701534226
OpenAlexW2062569359
LanguageEN
Citations received53
References cited25

This article contributes to the current discussion on how residents living in vulnerable areas make the decision to evacuate when they are in harms way. Key in this discussion is the question, what role does information and risk play in shaping evacuation behavior? This study used a sample of respondents from the greater New Orleans region (Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard Parishes) of the Twelve Parish Survey (N = 1,207) conducted prior to Hurricane Katrina. The findings indicate that information sources are vitally important in the evacuation process. By examining the role of information from authorities, family, and friends; visual imagery; and the media we found that individuals use a variety of sources when they decide to evacuate. Further, the importance of visual imagery in the evacuation process is discussed. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of information dissemination and its importance to members of the media and public policy makers

Geography · Hurricane katrina · Natural disaster · Perception · Political science · Public relations · Risk perception · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Evacuation and Crowd Dynamics · Psychology · Public Relations and Crisis Communication