The Evacuation Behaviors and Risk Perceptions of College Students in Coastal Communities

Saige Hill, MPA | shill054@odu.eduPublic Administration and Policy PhD Student,

Old Dominion University School of Public ServiceResearch Fellow, Virginia Sea Grant

Wie Yusuf, PhD | jyusuf@odu.eduProfessor, Old Dominion University School of Public ServiceIntroduction

Effective emergency management promotes community resilience and saves lives. However, there are many factors that may hinderthis goal. The False Alarm and Desensitization (FAD) Modelexplores this concept by illustrating how evacuation behaviors and risk perceptions are influenced by individual experiences. Specifically, the Model demonstrates how disaster false alarms and desensitization decrease the likelihood of adequate response during subsequent events and perpetuate community vulnerability. This poster introduces the FAD Model and key study, an analysis of the evacuation behaviors and risk perceptions of college students, considering the implications of false alarms and desensitization. College students, a vulnerable population, are the focus of this study.

ObjectiveTo study the impacts of false alarms and desensitization on college students affected by coastal hazards such as hurricanes, flooding, and sea level rise.

College Student Enrollment and Flood Zones in Norfolk, VA

This map shows the population density of college students8 in Norfolk, VA and the proximity of institutions (green dots)

to flood zones.2 Dark grey represents higher college student populations and blue areas represent low- (light blue),

moderate- (medium blue), and high-risk (dark blue) flood zones.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS❖ How do false alarms affect the evacuation behaviors and risk

perceptions of college students in coastal communities?❖ How does desensitization affect the evacuation behaviors and

risk perceptions of college students in coastal communities?❖ How can false alarms and desensitization be overcome to

promote resilience?

The False Alarm & Desensitization Model

FALSE ALARM THEORYPresented by neurologist Vilayanur Ramachandran in 1997, the false alarm theory explores the expectation of danger and human response. The theory highlights the paradigm shift between perceived danger and the realization that danger is not present.7

Ramachandran expresses alarm as the accumulation of tension due to the expectation of danger.7 When a person realizes that perceived danger presents no threat, a false alarm occurs.7 In relation to the FAD Model, the more one is exposed to disaster false alarms, the less likely they are to respond to legitimate threats.

DESENSITIZATION THEORYDesensitization states that as exposure to a stimulus increases, response to the stimulus decreases.3 The concept of systematic desensitization was originally conceived in 1924 by Mary Cover Jones, a developmental psychologist, to treat a child with a phobia of rabbits.3 In relation to mass communications, consumers are exposed to various stimuli through many forms of media, thus leading to the gradual desensitization of viewers over time.5 Following the Model, disasters that would have previously been considered critical events become normalized.

MethodologyA mixed methods study on the evacuation behaviors and risk perceptions of college students across higher education institutions in Hampton Roads, using the following steps:1. Conduct focus group of field professionals on observations

related to false alarms and desensitization2. Survey college students at institutions in Hampton Roads3. Identify and analyze trends in transcripts and surveys using NVivo

and SPSS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis poster was prepared by Saige Hill using Federal funds under award [NOAA Award/Grant # NA18OAR4170083], Virginia Sea Grant College Program Project [VASG Project #72155N-712684], from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Virginia Sea Grant, NOAA, or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Preliminary Findings and Next StepsSummarized, the literature review revealed the following:❖ Study on the hurricane evacuation behaviors of college

students found that false alarms lead to confusion regarding future evacuations.4

❖ Based on studying away from home, deciding to evacuate or shelter based on their own perceptions, having limited support and resources, and other factors, students are at great risk.4

❖ Hurricane Katrina survivors stated that official disaster communications and cues from friends and family encouraged pre-hurricane evacuation despite reduced knowledge of risks and financial limitations.1

❖ Residents may believe that it would be safer to shelter in place rather than evacuate,6 which will be of greater concern with COVID-19 transmission fears.

Examining the effects of both false alarms and desensitization on community vulnerability by conducting a focus group and survey and analyzing the results are the next steps of this research. Future research will include applying the study to a wider demographic to increase FAD Model generalizability.

REFERENCES1. Eisenman, D. P., Cordasco, K. M., Asch, S., Golden, J. F., & Glik, D. (2007). Disaster planning and risk communication with vulnerable communities: Lessons from Hurricane Katrina. American Journal of Public Health, 97, S109–S115. 2. Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2016). National Flood Hazard Layer. [Data file]. Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov/flood-maps/national-flood-hazard-layer. 3. Hatzenbuehler, L. C., & Schroeder, H. E. (1978). Desensitization procedures in the treatment of childhood disorders. Psychological Bulletin, 85(4), 831. 4. He, X., Tiefenbacher, J., & Samson, E. L. (2007). Hurricane evacuation behavior in domestic and international college students: The influences of environmental familiarity, expressed hurricane evacuation, and personal experience. Journal of Emergency Management, 5(6), 61–69. 5. Krahé, B., Möller, I., Huesmann, L., Kirwil, L., Felber, J., & Berger, A. (2011). Desensitization to media violence: Links with habitual media violence exposure, aggressive cognitions, and aggressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(4), 630–646. 6. Meyer, R. J., Baker, J., Broad, K., Czajkowski, J., & Orlove, B. (2014). The dynamics of hurricane risk perception: Real-time evidence from the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 95(9), 1389–1404. 7. Ramachandran, V. S. (1998). The neurology and evolution of humor, laughter, and smiling: the false alarm theory. Medical hypotheses, 51(4), 351–354. 8. U.S. Census Bureau. (2018). 2018 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. [Data file]. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/acs/www/data/data-tables-and-tools/data-profiles/2018/.

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