Local-level managers’ attitudes towards natural hazards resilience: the case of Texas

Abstract

ABSTRACT Prior research on natural hazards resilience demonstrate that citizens favor immediate and direct solutions to disasters, and are less supportive of future-oriented prevention strategies. These perceptions create incentives for politicians to adopt similar views. In this study, we explore the views of an intermediate group of stakeholders – public and professional managers who play a role in the process of designing disaster relief and prevention policies. Using a survey of professional stakeholders in Texas, we map their views on the causes and policy solutions for the damages following Hurricane Harvey (Summer 2017). Overall, we find that professional stakeholders hold fairly similar views to the public. Yet, they differ from citizens as they are less supportive of distributing direct payments, instead preferring to allocate funds towards long-term prevention solutions, and creating a regulatory environment to reduce the risks. Also, our results indicate that having personal experience of hazard events further enhance those views, and stakeholders in government positions prefer even less direct governmental involvement in disaster resilience. Our findings expand existing knowledge regarding individual perceptions and policy preferences facing natural hazards by discussing the views of professionals who play important roles in designing solutions to mitigate the growing risks from climate change.