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Title:

Simulating the Effects of Social Networks on People’s Hurricane Evacuation Rates

Accession Number:

01370072

Record Type:

Component

Abstract:

Scientists have noted that recent shifts in the earth’s climate have resulted in more extreme weather events, like stronger hurricanes. Such powerful storms disrupt societal function and result in a tremendous number of casualties, as demonstrated by recent hurricane experience in the U.S. Planning for and facilitating evacuations of populations forecast to be impacted by hurricanes is perhaps the most effective strategy for reducing risk. A potentially important yet relatively unexplored facet of people’s evacuation decision-making involves the interpersonal communication processes that affect whether at-risk residents decide to evacuate. While previous research has suggested that word-of-mouth effects are limited, data supporting these assertions were collected prior to the widespread adoption of digital social media technologies. This paper argues that the influence of social network effects on evacuation decisions should be revisited given the potential of new social media for impacting and augmenting information dispersion through real-time interpersonal communication. Using geographic data within an agent-based model of hurricane evacuation in Bay County, Florida, the authors examine how various types of social networks influence participation in evacuation. It is found that strategies for encouraging evacuation should consider the social networks influencing individuals during extreme events, as it can be used to increase the number of evacuating residents.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ANB10(4) Emergency Evacuation

Monograph Accession #:

01362476

Report/Paper Numbers:

12-0537

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Widener, Michael J
Horner, Mark W
Metcalf, Sara S

Pagination:

18p

Publication Date:

2012

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2012-1-22 to 2012-1-26
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; References

Candidate Terms:

Social networking

Uncontrolled Terms:

Agent based models

Subject Areas:

Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Security and Emergencies; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2012 Paper #12-0537

Files:

TRIS, TRB

Created Date:

Feb 8 2012 4:55PM