Hurricane Evacuation Behavior

1. Hurricane Evacuation Behavior Examples from Floyd

4. Why do some people evacuate and others don’t? • Risk Area • Actions by Officials • Perceived Vulnerability

5. Risk Area • People are more likely to leave from the more vulnerable locations

10. Hearing Official Evacuation Notices • People who think they hear mandatory evacuation orders are more likely than others to evacuate • “Hearing” recommendations are less effective

12. Beliefs about Vulnerability • People who believe their homes would be unsafe if hit by a hurricane are more likely than others to leave • especially if they believe they would be affected by dangerous flooding from storm surge and waves

15. What is shadow evacuation, and what causes it?

16. Leaving from areas or structures not included in evacuation notices • “Hearing” evacuation notices • Perceived vulnerability • Feeling more secure elsewhere

21. When do people leave and why?

22. Timing • Few evacuees leave before officials issue evacuation notices • People leave as quickly or as slowly as they believe they must or can

24. Where do people go when they evacuate? • Type of refuge • Geographical destination

25. Type of Refuge • Most people go to the homes of friends and relatives • Hotels/Motels • Relatively few go to public shelters, and the number is going down

29. Destinations • Percent going out-of-county varies much from place to place • Depends on storm strength, local options, roads • People tend to go farther than necessary

32. Does the “cry wolf” syndrome really exist? I.e., do “false alarms” keep people from evacuating in the future?

33. Types of Evidence • Stayers saying they stayed because they left unnecessarily in the past • Leavers saying they won’t go in the future • Comparisons of perceptions of vulnerability over time • Comparisons of evacuation rates over time

35. Where do people get most of their information about a hurricane during a threat?

36. Information Sources During a Hurricane Threat • Mainly local television and The Weather Channel • Local radio • About 10% get a “great deal” of information from the internet

38. Public Information • Better educate public about vulnerability • Word and disseminate evacuation notices to ensure they aren’t misinterpreted • Tell people what to do and why • Leave or stay • Where to go • How to get there • Get word to evacuees after they’ve departed