Urban disaster risk literacy and preparedness in a Chinese community

Hong Kong City

Disaster risk literacy refers to the ability to identify, understand, interpret, and communicate disaster risk-related information. Disaster preparedness, on the other hand, focuses on the ability and readiness to respond to emergency situations arising from natural disasters. Studies from many countries have demonstrated the potential impact of physical, mental, and psychological first- aid training on increasing disaster preparedness. Therefore, recognizing potential disaster risks and actual preparation for natural disasters may reduce the physical, psychological, and societal impact brought on by these unexpected natural phenomena.

Despite the importance of understanding population disaster risk literacy and preparedness for policy development and administration, little is known about the level of disaster risk literacy in urban Chinese communities such as Hong Kong. To fill this knowledge gap, a telephone survey was conducted to achieve six objectives:

The survey was conducted among the non-institutional Cantonese-speaking population in Hong Kong. The results will be used to inform policy makers and emergency response agencies as they develop policies and protocols for responding to natural disasters.

Project Duration 
Since 2012

Funding
This project was supported by the CCOUC seed grant.