Barriers to Mitigation: A Pilot Study
Source: James Lee, Ph.D., Crystal Paul and Guna Selvaduray, Ph.D., Collaborative for Disaster Mitigation, San José State University
This pilot research was undertaken to discover barriers that prevent homeowners from mitigating earthquake hazards in their homes. There is a relatively significant body of literature on disaster mitigation, which is reviewed and summarized in this report. However, no studies address how these barriers may be overcome so that homeowners would be more proactive in mitigation. If the barriers can be identified, then future communications and policy actions that address these barriers can be taken, resulting in more widespread mitigation implementation that reduces the injury and damage potential that communities face, leading to a reduction in the post- disaster response requirement, and the time required to achieve recovery.