Effects of support on evacuation preparedness of persons with disabilities.

Many persons with a disability are not prepared to evacuate in disasters. Subjects (N = 710) from 7 U.S. states responded to a survey measuring level of social support in a crisis, number of organizational memberships, frequency of personal assistance services, and evacuation preparedness. A hierarchical regression, controlling for degree of limitation from disability, shows that informal social support (β = .345), voluntary memberships (β = .106), and personal assistance frequency (β = .113) are statistically significant (p < .01) predictors of preparedness (R = .383, R(2) = .148). Interventions that increase the levels of these supports increase disaster preparedness.