Exploring evacuation patterns during Hurricane Irma: the differences between residents and tourists

Keywords: evacuation behavior, evacuation spot, Hurricane Irma, Twitter, residents and to
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 02:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 03:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 6

Abstract

Hurricanes have negatively affected individuals’ ways of living in influenced areas. Relative to residents, tourists are more vulnerable and have higher perceived risks when a major hurricane makes a landfall. Previous studies have mainly focused on tourists’ and residents’ evacuation decision-making processes while few studies have examined the real-time evacuation behavior. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to determine residents’ and tourists’ evacuation behavior using social media digital traces by using Hurricane Irma as a case study. For instance, we found Twitter users posted 1.8 tweets related to Hurricane Irma prior, during and after the emergency situation. Compared to tourists, Florida residents were more likely to share their real-time evacuation behavior on Twitter. The study will determine key evacuation spots, their utilization during the emergency, and evacuees’ experience.