Community and Psychological Barriers to Tsunami Preparation

Abstract

\n Tsunami risk was investigated as a platform for helping to understand the impact of community and psychological factors in natural disaster preparedness. Residents who lived within four meters of sea level in high and moderate tsunami risk areas of Vancouver Island were queried about possible influences on their preparation. Both community-level and psychological factors played significant roles. More community participation and fewer justifications used for not preparing (the dragons of inaction) directly predicted their reported preparation. The relation between sense of community and preparation was mediated by level of community participation, and the relation between the psychological factor, positive outcome expectancy, and preparation was mediated by the dragons of inaction. Together, these influences accounted for 21 percent of the variance in reported tsunami preparation. Policy implications are discussed.