Hurricane preparedness and sheltering preferences of Muslims living in Florida

Ahed M. Mando, BA; Lori Peek, PhD; Lisa M. Brown, PhD; Bellinda L. King-Kallimanis, PhD Candidate

doi:10.5055/jem.2011.0046

Authors

Ahed M. Mando, BA
Lori Peek, PhD
Lisa M. Brown, PhD
Bellinda L. King-Kallimanis, PhD Candidate

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.2011.0046

Keywords:

disasters, hurricanes, preparedness, shelters, evacuation, Florida, Muslims

Abstract

Objectives: Given the increasing diversity of the US population and the continued threat of hurricane devastation along the heavily populated Gulf Coast region, the lack of research on preparedness and sheltering activities across religious or cultural groups represents a significant gap in the field of hazards and disaster research. To address this void, a questionnaire examining hurricane preparedness attitudes and sheltering preferences was administered to Muslims living in Tampa, Florida.
Design: An exploratory study using a cross-sectional survey of Muslim adults who were attending a religious or cultural event.
Setting: The Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area and the Muslim American Society located in Tampa, Florida.
Participants: The final convenience sample of 139 adults had a mean age of 38.87 years (±11.8) with males and females equally represented.
Results: Significant differences were found in disaster planning activities and confidence in hurricane preparedness. Notably, 70.2 percent of the respondents were unsure about having a plan or were without a plan. Of the 29.7 percent who actually had a plan, 85.4 percent of those individuals were confident in their hurricane preparedness. This study also revealed that safety, cleanliness, access to a prayer room, and privacy were concerns related to using a public shelter during hurricanes. Nearly half of the respondents (47.4 percent) noted that the events of 9/11 influenced their comfort level about staying in a public shelter during a hurricane disaster.
Conclusions: Disaster planners should be aware of the religious practices of the Islamic community, encourage disaster planning among diverse groups, and address safety and privacy concerns associated with using public shelters.

Author Biographies

Ahed M. Mando, BA

Department of Aging and Mental Health Disparities, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.

Lori Peek, PhD

Department of Sociology , Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Lisa M. Brown, PhD

Department of Aging and Mental Health Disparities, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida.

Bellinda L. King-Kallimanis, PhD Candidate

Department of Medical Psychology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

References

Blake ES, Rappaport EN, Landsea CW: The deadliest, costliest, and most intense United States tropical cyclones from 1851 to 2006 (and other frequently requested hurricane facts). NOAA Technical Memo, NWS TPC-5, 2007.

U.S. Census Bureau: American FactFinder: Florida fact sheet, 2005-07. Available at http://factfinder.census.gov/. Accessed April 19, 2010.

Pew Research Center: Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream.Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2007.

Morris R: Muslims in South Florida. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Available at http://www.racematters.org/muslimsinsouthflorida.htm. Accessed March 27, 2010.

Armstrong K: Islam: A Short History. New York: Random House, 2000.

Smith JI: Islam in America. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999.

Ewing KP: Introduction. In Ewing KP (ed.): Being and Belonging: Muslims in the United States Since 9/11. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2008: 1-11.

Bagby I, Perl PM, Froehle BT: The Mosque in America: A National Portrait. Washington, DC: Council on American-Islamic Relations, 2001.

Smith TW: The Muslim population of the United States: The methodology of estimates. Public Opin Q. 2002; 66: 404-417.

Bankoff G: In the eye of the storm: The social construction of the forces of nature and the climatic and seismic construction of God in the Philippines. J Southeast Asian Stud. 2004; 35(1): 91-111.

Bjønness IM: Mountain hazard perception and risk-avoiding strategies among the Sherpas of Khumbu Himal, Nepal. Mt Res Dev. 1986; 6(4): 277-292.

Bolin R, Bolton P: Race, Religion, and Ethnicity in Disaster Recovery. Boulder, CO: Boulder Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, 1986.

Mitchell JT: The hazards of one’s faith: Hazard perceptions of South Carolina Christian clergy. Environ Hazards. 2000; 2(1): 25-41.

Schmuck H: ‘An act of Allah’: Religious explanations for floods in Bangladesh as a survival strategy. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2000; 18: 85-95.

Ensor MO: Disaster evangelism: Religion as a catalyst for change in post-Mitch Honduras. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2003; 21(2): 31-50.

Drabek TE: Human System Responses to Disaster: An Inventory of Sociological Findings. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1986.

Peek L: Becoming Muslim: The development of a religious identity. Sociol Relig. 2005; 66(3): 215-242.

Lawson EJ, Thomas C: Wading in the waters: Spirituality and older Black Katrina survivors. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2007; 18(2): 341-354.

Mitchell JT: Prayer in disaster: Case study of Christian clergy. Nat Hazards Rev. 2003; 4(1): 20-26.

Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: Religious composition of Florida. Available at http://pewforum.org/religion08/state.php? StateID=2. Accessed January 31, 2010.

Eck DL: A New Religious America: How a “Christian Country” has Become the World’s Most Religiously Diverse Nation. New York: Harper Collins, 2001.

Portes A, Rumbaut RG: Immigrant America: A Portrait. 3rd ed. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2006.

Phillips BD, Thomas DSK, Fothergill A, et al.: Social Vulnerability to Disasters. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009.

Dash N, McCoy BG, Herring A: Class. In Phillips BD, Thomas DSK, Fothergill A, Blinn-Pike L (eds.): Social Vulnerability to Disasters. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009: 75-100.

Fothergill A, Peek L: Poverty and disasters in the United States: A review of recent sociological findings. Nat Hazards. 2004; 32(1): 89-110.

Bolin B: Race, class, ethnicity, and disaster vulnerability. In Rodríguez H, Quarantelli EL, Dynes RR (eds.): Handbook of Disaster Research. New York: Springer, 2006: 113-129.

Fothergill A, Maestas EGM, Darlington JD: Race, ethnicity, and disasters in the United States: A review of the literature. Disasters. 1999; 23(2): 156-173.

Enarson E: Gender. In Phillips BD, Thomas DSK, Fothergill A, Blinn-Pike L (eds.): Social Vulnerability to Disasters. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009: 123-154.

Enarson E, Fothergill A, Peek L: Gender and disaster: Foundations and directions. In Rodríguez H, Quarantelli EL, Dynes RR (eds.): Handbook of Disaster Research. New York: Springer, 2006: 130-146.

Peek L: Children and disasters: Understanding vulnerability, developing capacities, and promoting resilience. Child Youth Environ. 2008; 18(1): 1-29.

Brown LM, Rothman M, Norris, F: Issues in mental health for older adults during disasters. Generations. 2007; 31(4): 20-24.

Brown LM, Cohen D, Kohlmaier J: Older adults and terrorism. In Bongar B, Brown LM, Beutler L, Zimbardo P, Breckenridge J (eds.): Psychology of Terrorism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007: 288-310.

Elmore DL, Brown LM: Emergency preparedness and response: Health and social policy implications for older adults. Generations. 2007; 31(4): 59-67.

Peek L: Age. In Phillips BD, Thomas DSK, Fothergill A, Blinn-Pike L (eds.): Social Vulnerability to Disasters. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009: 155-185.

Clive A, Davis EA, Hansen R, et al.: Disability. In Phillips BD, Thomas DSK, Fothergill A, Blinn-Pike L (eds.): Social Vulnerability to Disasters. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009: 187-216.

Mathew AB, Kelly K: Disaster preparedness in urban immigrant communities: Lessons learned from recent catastrophic events and their relevance to Latino and Asian communities in southern California, The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute and the Asian American Pacific Legal Center of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2008.

Morrow BH: Language and literacy. In Phillips BD, Thomas DSK, Fothergill A, Blinn-Pike L (eds.): Social Vulnerability to Disasters. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009: 243-255.

Shiu-Thornton S, Balabis J, Senturia K, et al.: Disaster preparedness for limited English proficient communities: Medical interpreters as cultural brokers and gatekeepers. Public Health Rep. 2007; 122: 466-471.

Phillips BD, Fordham M: Introduction. In Phillips BD, Thomas DSK, Fothergill A, Blinn-Pike L (eds.): Social Vulnerability to Disasters. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2009: 1-23.

Wisner B, Blaikie P, Cannon T, et al.: At Risk: Natural Hazards, People’s Vulnerability, and Disasters. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2005.

Phillips BD, Morrow BH: Social science research needs: Focus on vulnerable populations, forecasting, and warnings. Nat Hazards Rev. 2007; 8(3): 61-68.

Peek L: Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans After 9/11. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2010.

Rowel R, Sheikhattari P, Barber TM, et al.: A Guide to Enhance Grassroots Risk Communication Among Low-Income Populations. Baltimore, MD: Morgan State University School of Community Health Policy, 2009.

Faupel CE, Kelley SP, Petee T: The impact of disaster education on household preparedness for Hurricane Hugo. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 1992; 10(1): 5-24.

Quinn SC: Crisis and emergency risk communication in a pandemic: A model for building capacity and resilience of minority communities. Health Promot Pract. 2008; 9(4): 18S-25S.

Rubin CB, Palm R: National origin and earthquake response: Lessons from the Whittier Narrows Earthquake of 1987. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 1987; 5(3): 347-355.

Bolin RC, Stanford LM: Emergency Sheltering and Housing of Earthquake Victims: The Case of Santa Cruz County. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, 1993.

Yelvington KA: Coping in a temporary way: The tent cities. In Peacock WG, Morrow BH, Gladwin H (eds.): Hurricane Andrew: Ethnicity, Gender, and the Sociology of Disasters. New York: Routledge, 1997: 92-115.

Dyson ME: Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster. New York: Basic Civitas, 2006.

Babbie E: The Basics of Social Research. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Thompson/Wadsworth, 2008.

Neuman WL: Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. 6th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2006.

Tierney KJ, Lindell MK, Perry RW: Facing the Unexpected: Disaster Preparedness and Response in the United States. Washington, DC: Joseph Henry Press, 2001.