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Extended Family Ties Influenced Evacuation Decisions During Hurricane Katrina |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: FINDINGS: Previous research has shown that minorities have particularly cohesive extended family ties. For this study, UCLA researchers interviewed 58 randomly selected evacuees --- mostly low-income African Americans --- who relocated from New Orleans to Houston in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The researchers found that the evacuees' strong family ties had a profound influence on factors affecting evacuation, including transportation decisions, access to shelter and how they perceived evacuation messages. These ties both facilitated and hindered their evacuation. IMPACT: Disaster plans should take into account the influence that extended family ties and social networks have in decision-making among vulnerable and minority communities.
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