Readiness towards earthquake disasters among community in Peninsular Malaysia

ABSTRACT Despite the attention given to the devastating earthquake incident that occurred in Sabah in the year 2015, it is noteworthy to highlight that Peninsular Malaysia had experienced 40 minor earthquakes between 2007 and 2009. This scenario portrays the potential of this region being hit by a bigger magnitude of earthquake and it is unclear if the local community is prepared to face this disaster. Notably, readiness towards earthquake can be viewed from several perspectives. Having that said, this study determined the impact of demographic factors on community readiness towards earthquake disasters. Quantitative data retrieved via a questionnaire were gathered from 400 respondents elected using two-stage cluster sampling. The three areas involved were Bentong (Pahang), Manjung (Perak), and Kenyir (Terengganu). The outcomes revealed that the community in Peninsular Malaysia was moderately ready to face earthquake impacts, while further analyses exemplified that several demographic variables, including type of residence, level of education, number of household members, and period of residence in the areas, emerged as the determinant factors for community readiness towards earthquake disasters. Accordingly, several implications are highlighted to enable policy-makers understand the effect of readiness towards earthquake upon community dwelling across Peninsular Malaysia.