Understanding hurricane preparedness behaviors: The case study of Florida college students

As many studies show that college students in the US are ill-prepared for hurricanes, it is critical to further study their preparedness behaviors to better engage them in hurricane preparedness. Consequently, our study aims to answer one research question: "What behavioral construct(s) significantly influence college students' hurricane preparedness decisions in Florida?" A quantitative approach was used for data collection, and 578 college students from five different universities and community colleges in Florida agreed to participate in our study. Our survey considered three main behaviors (preparing an evacuation plan, an emergency communication plan, and an emergency supply kit), and we looked at seven behavioral constructs (perceived risk possibility, perceived risk severity, subjective norms, personal responsibility, perceived behavioral control, outcome expectancy, and intention). We used different statistical methods in the analysis, including variance, correlation, and regression analyses. All regression models were significant, with perceived behavioral control, outcome expectancy, and subjective norms being the only constructs significantly influencing the student's intention to prepare. Subjective norms had the highest odds ratio for preparing evaluation and emergency communication plans, while perceived behavioral control had the highest odds ratio for preparing a supply kit. Moreover, there was a strong correlation between preparing evacuation and communication plans, and the variance analysis showed that perceived behavioral control had the highest variance compared to the other constructs. By addressing specific hurricane preparedness behaviors, our study fills a research gap and helps college campuses to better plan their emergency management by considering the preparedness behaviors of their students.