The role of disaster risk perception in disaster preparedness

The development of a disaster risk perception scale, which would be used in the determination and evaluation of the reactions of people living under disaster risk to disasters, their behaviors, and the characteristics of their risk cultures, is a crucial step in disaster risk management. The objective of this study is to develop a disaster risk perception scale and to assess its effect on disaster preparedness. For this reason, a pilot scheme followed by the main application was carried out with 359 and 786 participants, respectively. All participants included in the study were aged 18 and over, have been living in the provinces of Giresun and Elazığ, and recently experienced earthquakes, floods, and landslides. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, and structural equation modeling techniques were used in the analysis of the research data. A reliable and valid disaster risk perception scale, which consists of 25 items categorized under 5 dimensions, that is, exposure/impact, probability, uncontrollable, worry/fear, vulnerability, was developed. The disaster risk perception of the participants differed significantly according to their educational level, income level, city of residence, and disaster education. A positive and significant correlation was found between the perception of disaster risk and disaster preparedness (r=0.29; p<0.05). As per the structural equation model, the exposure/impact (β=0.40; t=5.48; p<0.05) and worry/fear (β=0.23; t=3.37; p<0.05) variables had positive and significant effects on disaster preparedness. For future studies, it is recommended to apply the disaster risk perception scale according to different disaster types and evaluate the results.