Major disasters repeatedly focus attention on the need for thorough assessment of the ways that people (both individually and collectively) assess threats beforehand and respond to disruptions during and after catastrophic events. Geographers have focused their attention in recent years on locational factors and on the interactions among a broad range of variables that affect human perceptions of and responses to catastrophic events. This Small Grant for Exploratory Research will provide support for a team of experienced scientists who will explore different facets of the response of people in southern Florida to the ravages of Hurricane Andrew in August 1992. Through field observation, acquisition and analysis of data, and elicitation of reactions through focus-group discussions, the scientists will investigate a number of related factors, including (1) decision- making processes related to the evacuation, return, and relocation of residents; (2) dissatisfaction with governmental planning and responsiveness; (3) geographic patterns of evacuation; and (4) comparisons of evacuation and other coping strategies used by individuals. This project will provide valuable new insights in a number of different yet complementary ways. Because the proposed project is effectively grounded in current theoretical understandings of risk assessment and risk response, it has great potential for providing a more complete basis for assessment of general principles governing human behavior in extremely stressful and disrupted situations. The project also should provide valuable new insights about the strengths and liabilities of a number of different emergency-response strategies. This policy-relevant knowledge should enable governments at all levels and other organizations to make sounder judgments regarding planning for future catastrophes and management of activities during and after disruptive events.
