Obstacles and Disaster Risk Reduction: Survey of Memphis Organizations

Abstract

The disaster management literature is replete with surveys at the community and household levels. However, few exist at the organizational level. This study attempts to fill this void by examining the effect of organizational obstacles on disaster risk reduction. The data come from a survey of 227 organizations in Memphis, Tennessee. This study investigates three obstacles to disaster risk reduction: lack of organizational support, lack of information, and lack of financial resources. The findings show that organizations are more likely to engage in low-effort activities indirectly related to risk reduction and are less likely to engage in high-effort activities directly related to risk reduction. The most important obstacle is lack of information about the frequency of disasters, magnitude of disasters, or organizational benefits of reducing disaster risks. Lack of financial resources and lack of organizational support are sometimes positively associated with risk-reducing activities, suggesting that, when organizations engage in risk-reducing activities, some obstacles become more apparent. The study concludes with implications, limitations, and future research strategies.

FEMA versus local governments: influence and reliance in disaster preparedness

“…Previous research has established a positive relationship between the provision of disaster information and the adoption of hazard adjustments at the individual and organizational levels (Basolo et al 2009;Huss et al 2012;Perry and Nigg 1985;Sadiq and Weible 2010). We are 7 particularly interested in studies that examined this relationship at the organizational level.…”

“…A key limitation of previous research on organizational preparedness has been how to obtain accurate information about an organization's readiness (Sadiq and Weible 2010). There have been dozens of employer-based surveys that purport to assess readiness, but their results are questionable because sample sizes are small, response rates are uneven, and it is difficult to establish standardization in who responds to the survey (executives, information technology professionals, human resources personnel, and so forth) (Han and Nigg 2011;Sadiq and Weible 2010).…”

“…They found, among other results, a significant and positive relationship between disaster information received from Memphis city government and preparedness. Sadiq and Weible (2010) examined the relationship between organizational obstacles and disaster risk reduction among Memphis, Tennessee organizations. One of their results was that a lack of disaster information is a significant obstacle to risk reduction in organizations.…”

“…There have been dozens of employer-based surveys that purport to assess readiness, but their results are questionable because sample sizes are small, response rates are uneven, and it is difficult to establish standardization in who responds to the survey (executives, information technology professionals, human resources personnel, and so forth) (Han and Nigg 2011;Sadiq and Weible 2010). More importantly, such surveys are susceptible to a response bias, as employers may be reluctant to acknowledge that they are unprepared or are devoting insufficient resources to 4 disaster preparedness or are not relying on the most authoritative sources of information about natural disasters (FEMA 2011;Fowler et al 2007).…”

Adoption of Hazard Adjustments by Large and Small Organizations: Who is Doing the Talking and Who is Doing the Walking?

“…The exceptions include the excellent pioneering work of some notable researchers (e.g., Dahlhamer and D'Souza 1997;Drabek 1991;1994a;1994b;Nigg and Tierney 1994;Quarantelli et al 1979;Webb et al 2000). More recent studies at the organizational level include Sadiq (2009;2010) and Sadiq and Weible (2010). Regardless of the aforementioned studies, there is a need for more research.…”