Abstract
A multi-act scale for measuring the earthquake preparedness of individuals and small businesses was developed and used to assess the earthquake preparedness and the perceived difficulty of becoming prepared for earthquakes of 291 University of Southern California undergraduate students approximately 3 weeks prior to the 5.9 magnitude Whittier Narrows earthquake on 1 October 1987. These data were then compared with similar information collected over a 2 1/2 month period following the earthquake from randomly selected samples of subjects that had participated in the original survey. In one case, levels of preparedness of a single group were measured at approximately 2 week intervals (the repeated measures study). In a second case, this information was collected at different points in time following the earthquake from different groups of subjects (the between groups study). Results indicated an initial increase in earthquake preparedness which was significant for subjects in the repeated measures group and which approached significance for subjects in the between groups. This increase in preparedness was maintained for subjects in the repeated measure study but gradually declined to pre-earthquake levels for subjects in the between subjects study. Subjects in the repeated measures study also perceived earthquake preparedness as a significantly less difficult task following the earthquake. Level of perceived difficulty continued to decline over the 2 1/2 month study period. Declines in perceived difficulty for the between subjects study were more erratic, and were only approximately 1/3 of that for the repeated measures group at the end of 2 1/2 months.
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Mulilis, JP., Duval, T.S. & Lippa, R. The effects of a large destructive local earthquake on earthquake preparedness as assessed by an earthquake preparedness scale. Nat Hazards 3, 357–371 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00124393
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00124393