Households’ Protective Actions in Response to a Nighttime Earthquake: The 2018 Eastern Taiwan Earthquake
Publication: Lifelines 2022
ABSTRACT
The belief that individuals are more vulnerable to earthquakes that onset during nighttime hours is a common preconception. One reason for this belief may be a presumed limited capacity for individuals to react and to protect themselves appropriately in darkness. To better understand this issue, this study surveyed the experiences of households during the 2018 Eastern Taiwan Earthquake, a magnitude 6.4 event that struck Taiwan at 11:50 PM local time. Data were collected with regard to structural, environmental, social, and household contexts, as well as perceived shaking intensity, risk perceptions, individual preparedness, earthquake experience, and demographic characteristics, and compared against reported immediate individual protective actions taken. The results, which were then compared to data from two comparable daytime earthquakes (the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake and the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake), indicate that approximately half of the respondents who experienced the 2018 Eastern Taiwan nighttime earthquake (49.7%) did not take any protective actions. Regression analysis revealed that respondents’ social and environmental contexts, directly associated with the earthquake occurring at night, affected the individuals’ emotional response, and, in turn, their adoption of protective actions. The results of this study highlight possible differences in people’s response to earthquake shaking under diverse scenarios, and in turn, encourage researchers and practitioners to design preparedness and response exercises that account for situational variation in earthquake shaking responses. This study also provides clear guidance regarding the response of individuals during earthquakes that can better inform policy decisions and structural regulations in earthquake-prone areas, reducing injury and promoting household and community resilience.
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Pages: 397 - 410
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Published online: Nov 16, 2022
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