摘要：Objectives. We studied the experience of Hurricane Katrina evacuees to better understand factors influencing evacuation decisions in impoverished, mainly minority communities that were most severely affected by the disaster. Methods. We performed qualitative interviews with 58 randomly selected evacuees living in Houston’s major evacuation centers from September 9 to 12, 2005. Transcripts were content analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Results. Participants were mainly African American, had low incomes, and were from New Orleans. Participants’ strong ties to extended family, friends, and community groups influenced other factors affecting evacuation, including transportation, access to shelter, and perception of evacuation messages. These social connections cut both ways, which facilitated and hindered evacuation decisions. Conclusions. Effective disaster plans must account for the specific obstacles encountered by vulnerable and minority communities. Removing the more apparent obstacles of shelter and transportation will likely be insufficient for improving disaster plans for impoverished, minority communities. The important influence of extended families and social networks demand better community-based communication and preparation strategies. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that a large portion of American society lives without the social and economic resources necessary to protect themselves and their families during disasters. More than 100 000 residents of greater New Orleans, many of whom were poor and African American, 1 did not evacuate before Katrina’s landfall. 2 Research findings on the association between race/ethnicity and evacuation decisions are consistent with the pattern seen with Katrina: minority communities are less likely to evacuate and are more affected by disasters. 3 – 6 The vulnerability of these communities appears to be mainly because of economic status and resources; however, “cultural ignorance, ethnic insensitivity, racial isolation and racial bias” potentially also contribute by leading to lower levels of preparedness, fewer resources for evacuation, and disparities in access to relief and recovery. 4 (p169) Evacuation research generally compares populations who do and do not evacuate, 7 – 10 so the few studies that address racial/ethnic variations describe disparities between broad majority and minority groups, leaving much about the crucial factors operating within minority groups unknown. 11 , 12 In-depth investigations of evacuation decisions are needed to understand why impoverished, urban, minority communities may be less likely to evacuate. A survey done by Brodie et al 13 of the predominantly poor and African American persons residing in Houston’s shelters after Hurricane Katrina highlights some of the challenges faced in evacuating vulnerable minority communities; the most commonly endorsed responses for not evacuating were lack of transportation and misjudging the storm’s danger. Still, social psychological theory predicts that decisionmaking is complex, multifactorial, and socially embedded. 14 Results of studies, such as that by Brodie et al, 13 invite further questions about the complex interrelationships of the reasons offered in the survey for not evacuating and potentially others (e.g., family refused to evacuate, inability to leave work, and credibility of evacuation recommendations) that were not included in the survey. 12 Qualitative research can add to the depth of our understanding by providing a detailed accounting of the cultural context, social environment, and individual cognitions that led to people’s decisions and abilities to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina. We interviewed evacuees from Hurricane Katrina to better understand, from their perspective, the complex set of factors that influenced evacuation behaviors. Understanding these experiences could inform disaster plans for impoverished, minority, communities in the United States.
