Human response to hurricanes in Texas: two studies.

The two studies discussed in this paper examined human adjustment response, and perception of the hurricane hazard in several extremely hurricane-prone communities on the Texas coast. The first study centered on Galveston Island, which has not experience a major hurricane since 1961. Open-ended interviews were conducted to determine the awareness and attitudes of local officials and residents toward hurricanes, as well as to determine what adjustments had been made to the hazard. Results indicated that, although the community of Galveston is fairly progressive in its emergency preparedness efforts, there remain definite elements in the city who refuse to evacuate and, furthermore, take a somewhat defiant "stick-it-out" posture in regard to hurricanes. The second study discussed in this paper surveyed the perception, response and future actions of selected South Texas coastal residents in three communities who experienced the threat of the near-miss Hurricane Anita in September of 1977. In general, the level of preparedness for Anita was found to be high in all three communities, and most residents indicated that they would make the same preparations next time a hurricane threatened their community.