Adventures in Social Seismology: Empirical Investigations of Human Behavioral Response in Earthquakes Using Data From ‘Did You Feel It?’

Session: Weathering the Earthquake Storms: Crisis Communication Following Major Events
Type: Oral
Date: 4/28/2020
Time: 11:45 AM
Room: 215 + 220
Description: 

Human behavioral response to earthquake ground motion has long been a subject of multi-disciplinary interest and research. In early versions of seismic intensity scales, human perceptions and behavior were one component of the assignment of intensity. Public health research has shown that actions taken during earthquakes have a significant impact on the incidence of injury or the maintenance of safety. Based on this research, emergency management and other organizations promoting emergency preparedness have developed strategies such as “drop, cover and hold on” and promoted this safety measure through public education and annual drills. The “Did you feel it?” (DYFI) mapping system based on an on-line questionnaire developed and maintained by the US Geological Survey has provided opportunities for those who have experienced an earthquake to report this experience worldwide since 2004. The DYFI questionnaire, though designed to assign intensity, also contains questions regarding respondent emotional reaction and individual response during the earthquake. In addition, the DYFI questionnaire also includes other important information that may influence response to earthquakes, including assigned intensity, location where the earthquake was experienced and whether damage occurred in this location. Recent studies we conducted using the DYFI database examined 12 global earthquakes, some large and damaging events, some moderate in size and impact and more recently, the Ridgecrest earthquakes in which a very large number of people completed DYFI questionnaires, providing a robust dataset for analysis. These studies go beyond previous more limited efforts to understand how people responded during earthquakes and provide empirical data on behavioral variation based on intensity and emotion (fear), the location in which the earthquake was experienced, levels of socio-economic development, cultural understandings of appropriate response and whether the drop, cover and hold on strategy has been implemented by those who experienced earthquakes in nations in which it has been promoted.

Presenting Author: James D. Goltz

Authors