| Extant research showed that United States households are not adequately prepared for disasters where critical services and infrastructure are disrupted for 72 hours. This research investigated household disaster preparedness to determine the influences that motivate citizens in making their household disaster preparedness decisions. A qualitative design using a generic qualitative inquiry strategy was employed, collecting data from male, federal government employees living and working in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis and coding. The theory of planned behavior and disaster preparedness guidelines recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross (ARC) were employed to frame the study. This study addressed research gaps by deeply exploring individuals' experiences, feelings, and emotions regarding household disaster preparedness; and identifying actions households took to prepare for disasters and reasons for taking such actions. The study showed that citizens were less prepared than they perceived and often overstated their ability to cope during 72--hour disruptions. The study also showed that citizens prepare for disasters in order to survive, to protect family, to cope with disaster impact, and to protect their investment. The study showed preparedness barriers included a lack of knowledge and education, poor attitude, unrealistic risk assessment, lack of resources, and unrealistic expectation of an emergency response; which may be overcome by education/awareness, preparedness advertisements and information dissimilation, and disaster preparedness campaigns.;Keywords: Disaster Preparedness, Household Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Preparedness, Family Disaster Preparedness, Family Preparedness. |
