Aged Citizens in the Warning Phase of Disasters: Re-Examining the Evidence

Abstract

While there is a strong consistent empirical literature on older citizens in the recovery period of disasters, there is much less research on how the elderly respond to disaster warnings. Furthermore, there are conflicting findings among these studies, some characterizing the elderly as noncompliant and less likely to cooperate with authorities, while others find the elderly no less responsive than other age groups. The current article reviews the literature in this area and tries to sort out conflicting findings in terms of the timing of the research and methodological considerations. Data are analyzed from nine disasters—representing flood events, volcanic eruptions, and hazardous materials emergencies—which show citizens over sixty-five years old no less likely to comply with disaster warnings.