Evacuation behavior of households facing compound hurricane‐pandemic threats

Abstract

AbstractThis study examines households' prospective evacuation behavior during a hurricane‐pandemic compound threat. Data from a 2020 survey of coastal Virginia households help answer two questions: (1) What factors associated with the threat and impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic and hurricanes influence the prospective evacuation behavior of households during a compound hurricane‐pandemic event? (2) What are the equity implications for emergency management policies and practices to support evacuation and sheltering during a compound hurricane‐pandemic event? Households in the sample were split between those who stated they would evacuate away from the at‐risk region and those who would stay. Greater household vulnerability to hurricanes and COVID‐19 and having sufficient financial resources increase the likelihood of evacuation. Higher‐income households were more likely to have resources to evacuate and were less likely to suffer financial consequences from a hurricane or pandemic. Racial minorities are more vulnerable to the pandemic and face greater resource challenges when evacuating.