Understanding the culture of natural disaster preparedness: exploring the effect of experience and sociodemographic pred
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Understanding the culture of natural disaster preparedness: exploring the effect of experience and sociodemographic predictors Javiera V. Castañeda3 · Nicolás C. Bronfman1,2 · Pamela C. Cisternas1,2 · Paula B. Repetto2,3 Received: 6 December 2019 / Accepted: 8 May 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Understanding the culture of preparedness is essential to improve public policies and programs aimed to promote population preparedness to cope with natural hazards. The present study seeks to explore the influence of experience and sociodemographic variables in different levels of natural disaster preparedness among inhabitants of the Chilean coast. Three domains of preparedness were studied: household, community, and work. Participants were 1504 adults interviewed from representative samples of the coastal cities of Iquique and Concepción. Our main results suggest that direct prior experience and higher frequency of exposure to earthquakes and tsunamis generate a highest level of preparedness. In the same way, middle-aged adults (30–59 years), who live with a partner and those who have higher education and income level, declare having the highest levels of preparedness. On the other hand, our results denote that for each domain of preparedness, different sociodemographic characteristics influence the level of preparedness. Years living in the city and living with a partner represents the most decisive variable for preparedness at the household unit level. As for community preparedness, gender emerges as the most relevant variable. Educational level and income are variables with the greatest impact in workplace preparedness. These results demonstrate the importance of studying and implementing preparedness activities in other contexts such as community and work. Also, strategies should focus on less prepared groups that may be more vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters. Keywords Disaster preparedness · Natural hazards · Sociodemographic variables · Experience
* Javiera V. Castañeda [email protected] 1
Engineering Sciences Department, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
2
Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN), ANID/FONDAP/15110017, Santiago, Chile
3
Department of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Natural Hazards
1 Introduction Earthquakes, tsunamis, and natural events caused by climate change are a growing challenge for nations (CRED 2018). Records from 2018 show that more than 11,000 people lost their lives due to natural disasters, mainly earthquakes and tsunamis (CRED 2019). Chile is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is one of the most exposed countries to the occurrence of geophysical events such as earthquakes and tsunamis. The country has extensive historical records of such events, including the mega earthquake of 1960 that affected the southern part of the country, reaching 9.5 Mw. This earthquake is listed as the most powerful ever recorded in the history of humankind (EM-DAT 2019).
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