Title: The effect of fear for earthquakes and disaster awareness levels of public administrators on disaster preparedness

Authors: Emrah Gökkaya; Ismet Çelebi; Adeviye Çopur; Elçin Balci

Addresses: Civil Defense and Firefighting Department, Bünyan Vocational School, Kayseri University, Kayseri, 38100, Turkey ' Department of Paramedic, Vocational School of Health Services, Gazi University, Ankara, 06420, Turkey ' Department of Paramedic, Vocational School of Health Services, Kayseri University, Kayseri, 38600, Turkey ' Faculty of Medical, Department of Public Health, Erciyes University, Kayseri, 38100, Turkey

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine the disaster awareness levels and factors affecting preparedness, as well as the earthquake concerns of politicians who are competent in producing policies on disasters, as well as of public administrators. This cross-sectional research was conducted with a total of 422 public managers residing in Kayseri. Earthquake fear scale, disaster awareness scale, and disaster preparedness scale were used in the data collection form. While the earthquake fear scale mean score of the participants who have not worked in any disaster before is significantly higher, the disaster awareness scale and disaster readiness scale mean score of the participants who have worked in any disaster before are significantly higher. In this study, the factors affecting public administrators' earthquake fears, disaster awareness and disaster preparedness were found to be gender, age, education level, marital status, place of work and previous disaster duty history.

Keywords: disaster; disaster awareness; disaster preparedness; earthquake fear; public administrator.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2023.141428

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2023 Vol.18 No.4, pp.402 - 415

Received: 06 Jan 2024
Accepted: 09 Jul 2024
Published online: 12 Sep 2024 *

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