Article describes how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted business services across all industries. In this study, the authors examine the impact during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on Texas museums, heritage sites, parks, and protected places with a focus on the evolving, and often conflicting, government policies.

On April 16, 2014 the Sewol Ferry became one of the worst maritime disasters in South Korea with the loss of 304 passenger, the majority being high school students. South Korea is a collectivist culture, structured as a hierarchical system that teaches their students and children to always respect, listen, and trust authority figures especially in dangerous situations. This study explores how collectivist cultural elements impacted the response of the Sewol Ferry. By examining the timeline of the disaster through interviews, documentaries, news articles and media; this thesis offers insight into what happened that day by providing perspectives from the rescue crew, government officials, survivors, volunteers, and family members of those who died. The analysis showed that in collectivist culture, children and students are taught to trust and listen to authority figures when in dangerous situations, however because of the Sewol disasters, the culture of adhering to the hierarchical systems started to collapse. Students who survived stated that they no longer can trust and respect adults after the incident along with family members of the students who passed away and the public. Also, the government withheld information and failed to protect the children aboard the ferry, because they didn't want …

When governments are unable or unwilling to provide necessary relief to communities, local faith-based congregations (FBCs) step in and fill the gap. Though shown to provide for so many needs following disaster, FBCs have largely been left out of the institutional emergency management cycle. The aim of this study was to explore the role of FBCs in the disaster response and recovery process and investigate how recovery impacts FBCs. The primary objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of FBCs and how to better integrate them into the formal emergency management process.The main questions were as follows: First, what is the role of FBCs during the disaster recovery process? Second, how do FBCs change (temporarily and permanently) during disaster recovery, and what factors may promote or inhibit change? To answer these questions, qualitative semistructured interviews were held to develop a case study of Katy, Texas and its recovery from Hurricane Harvey of 2017. The applied and conceptual implications resulting from this study, which apply to FBCs, researchers, emergency managers, and policy makers, highlight the opportunity to better incorporate FBCs formally into emergency management practices.

Damaging tornadoes are possible in all U.S. regions beyond the traditionally recognized "tornado alleys" in the southern plains and mid-south. Hence, this research examines how study participants respond to rare tornado events. Specifically, how disaster experiences affect risk perceptions and protective actions when facing a rare tornado event. This study used the protective action decision model (PADM) as the theoretical lens to investigate this issue. The PADM shows that personal characteristics, including personal disaster experience, could affect risk perceptions and how protective action decisions are made. This study applies the theory by recruiting 136 human subjects from the state of Washington to participate in a social experiment. The participants take part in a study that includes hypothetical tornado scenarios, ranging from thunderstorm warning to a tornado emergency then answering questions regarding the presented scenarios. Findings suggest that disaster experience and demographics influence how people perceive and respond to tornado disasters. Overall, people with direct and indirect tornado experiences showed significantly lower risk perceptions in the early stages of the threat when compared with those without any tornado experiences. Their tornado risk perceptions later increased when the threats were higher, and they tended to be more complacent regarding protective actions. This …

The 2019 Dallas Tornado struck a densely populated area, was the costliest tornado in Texas history, and had minimal warning lead time, yet there were no serious injuries or fatalities. To understand why, this study examines individuals' decision-making processes during this tornado using the protective action decision model (PADM). Specifically, it investigates the factors affecting threat belief and evaluation, the facilitators and impediments to protective action, and the effects on future risk perception and hazard adjustment measures. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 23 survivors to explore their experiences and decision-making processes during this tornado. Interviews were analyzed through inductive coding and a constant comparative approach. Key findings of this study suggest that clear and direct warning messages, coupled with rapid, heuristic-driven reactions, can overcome the impediment of a short-fuse warning time and motivate those at risk to take protective action. Additionally, this study identifies condominium owners as a housing population with unique needs and impediments in the tornado recovery process. Furthermore, results illustrate how the hazard scenario and contemporary technological culture nuance protective action decision-making and future hazard adjustment measures.