Social & Moral Factors in Post-Hurricane Evacuation Decisions: Implications for well-being

University Of Massachusetts Boston, Dorchester MA

Investigators

Abstract

Environmental forecasts show that already vulnerable places will be disproportionately impacted by natural disasters. The decision to stay or leave in the aftermath of a natural disaster can have significant long-term impacts on individual and group recovery and resilience. This project examines the interactions among the material, social, and ideological factors, thereby contributing to the development of multi-level models of evacuation decision-making. In the wake of a hurricane, material factors, including the physical conditions of homes and access to jobs, push people to consider evacuation. But if separation from (or reunion with) family and friends is in play, material factors alone cannot predict an evacuation decision. Beyond the social and material, the researchers will also consider dynamics at the level of beliefs and values, the moral considerations that people weigh in choosing to leave or stay. Under what circumstances might moral convictions trump the social and material concerns of people still recovering from a disaster? Understanding the role of homeland-diasporic connection in people's decisions to stay or leave can inform policies that manage diasporic contributions to resilience and development. In pursuing these aims, the project will train under-represented graduate research assistants in methods of scientific data collection and analysis. This study examines factors that shaped evacuation decisions after Hurricane Maria. While considering economic and health factors, which typically shape people's evacuation decisions, the investigators examine factors that have received less attention in disaster evacuation studies: social and moral dimensions. Specifically, they will focus on the role of social ties and moral discourses. Ultimately, the project seeks to understand how these factors influence mental health, and whether they stayed or left he island. It is crucial to understand such factors as they shape disaster adaption systems. Further, data on migration trends showed marked increases in relocation following Hurricane Maria. By shedding light on the complex set of factors evacuees consider, this research can inform policies that aim to address depopulation in already economically vulnerable contexts. In addition, this research will shed light on factors, beyond material ones, that are contributing to mental health crises. To do this, the investigators will employ individual and group interviews, media analysis, and a survey to: (1) study how social ties influence evacuation decisions and how social ties interact with other factors, such as people's sense of duty to nation or community; (2) investigate the moral discourses that circulate in various media and interviews with research participants to better understand how they influence evacuation decisions; and (3) assess how material, social, and ideological factors interact with evacuation decisions to affect mental health. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.