Lessons Learned from Longitudinal Survey Data on Hurricane Preparedness

Increasing hurricane impacts as a result of population growth in coastal areas and possibly climate change highlight the need to mitigate these impacts, which depends on how people prepare for hurricane risks. This talk will discuss results of three waves of surveys the authors conducted during 2019-2020 to monitor hurricane preparedness activities by households in flood-prone coastal areas in Florida and factors that influence preparedness behaviour, such as individual risk perceptions, coping appraisals and risk and time preferences. Particular results will focus on natural disaster insurance purchases, the implementation of wind and flood damage mitigation measures, moral hazard of insurance coverage, and evacuation. The first survey completed by 871 respondents was conducted over the phone between 29 August and 2 September 2019 in real time during the threat of Hurricane Dorian. The second survey was conducted in February 2020 among 255 of the same respondents as the first survey to examine if risk perceptions and preparedness activities had changed after the near miss of potentially catastrophic Hurricane Dorian. The final survey was conducted in early June 2020 among a new sample of 600 respondents to obtain insights into preparedness for the 2020 hurricane season during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that this hurricane season is dominated by concerns over COVID-19 which influences hurricane preparedness, especially evacuation intentions. The author draws methodological lessons from their real time and repeated surveying approach, and discusses the implications of their findings for policies that aim to improve hurricane preparedness.