A perception study of tropical cyclones: community awareness and preparedness: a case of Townsville, 1975

Abstract

Having discussed the place of natural hazard perception within geography and the salient concepts involved, this study then reviews the characteristics of cyclone activity that influence hazard perception and gives a brief description of the study area and its geographical background. Data obtained from a social survey on the community's perception of the potential hazard and those procedures deemed necessary for its protection are then analyzed, revealing that socio-economic and cyclone experience factors contribute significantly to the perception process. An examination of variation in the perception of the cyclone hazard and potential risk in both a spatial and temporal context is made in latter chapters. Findings indicate that although spatial variations in hazard perception are evident, they are attributed to variances in the socio-economic and cyclone experience characteristics of respondents, rather than to factors of location, while variation in hazard perception over time is minimal. Conclusions on the study are made in the final chapter and recommendations for future research, suggested. Show more