I'm Staying! A Discussion of the Societal Aspects of the Choice to Ride Out Hurricane Michael

Hurricane Michael made landfall along the coast of the Florida Panhandle as the the strongest hurricane on record to affect the area. It was also the third deepest hurricane to ever directly strike the United States. In the face of this threat, and despite ample warning and evacuation orders, thousands of area residents chose to endure Michael's fury in their homes. The result was tragic with dozens of deaths reported from wind and storm surge along Michael's path.

In this presentation we will share some of the harrowing stories of survival of those who chose to stay and explore their decision making process. We'll also provide the latest findings from the social science community relating to the decision to stay or evacuate from a hurricane threat. Lastly we'll explore a few ways future preparedness and messaging efforts can better convince residents to evacuate when ordered to do so before a hurricane.