Household attributes, motivational factors, and sources of motivation influencing flood preparedness of vulnerable population groups

Abstract

Extreme disaster events, particularly floods, impact individuals, households, and communities differently depending on a range of factors. Some residents are more vulnerable than others to floods, hence urgent action is needed to improve preparedness of vulnerable groups to reduce potential impacts of flooding. To achieve this, it is important to assess household flood preparedness, and identify the influence of household-level attributes on flood preparedness. Using a large-scale community survey, this study investigated how key household attributes such as evacuation assistance, Internet access, and key motivational factors and sources of motivation such as personal and social networks influence flood preparedness among vulnerable households. Households were categorized into three levels of vulnerability (high, medium, and low) by combining household economic capacity, as measured by household monthly expenditure, and the presence of vulnerable family members. Six key findings emerged: (1) Highly vulnerable households showed higher resilience to floods, and flood preparedness levels are independent of household vulnerability levels; (2) Self-reported household flood preparedness is positively influenced by learning from past disaster experience; (3) Financial and time commitments, and a sense of urgency for household-level flood preparedness are key intrinsic motivational factors that influence flood preparedness; (4) Access to reliable Internet can be used as a proxy to predict the degree of household flood preparedness; (5) Higher levels of awareness and knowledge of flood preparedness were reported despite low levels of community consultation; and (6) Self-motivation is the key source of motivation for flood preparedness. The study findings will support key institutional stakeholders such as local governments to devise strategies to strengthen the flood resilience of vulnerable households and communities.