Speaker: Dr. Thomas Huggins

Time: 2:00 - 3:00p.m., 14 Apr 2021(Wed)

Venue: T2-202

Language: English

Abstract:

Earthquake-relatedbehaviors in Mexico and Japan highlight the need to better understand behaviors in response to demanding alerting scenarios. These two countries have developed the most established early earthquake warning systems in the world. However, responses to alerts in these settings have been unlikely to protect residents from death or severe injury. This represents a gap between alerting system investments and effectiveness, involving many thousands of avoidable injuries and even deaths. To help better understand and address this cost-effectiveness gap, we require a robust, theoretical explanation of why alerted residents have responded in the ways that they did. Fortunately, relevant behavioral and cognitive theories have coalesced towards an integrated but simple model of alert response behavior, which is being used to guide further research. Challenges and opportunities for this further research are also outlined.

About the speaker:

Dr. Thomas Huggins became involved in disaster management research following the 2011 Canterbury Earthquakes, when liaising between a core group of academic experts and the New Zealand government. Dr Huggins’s subsequent work for New Zealand’s Joint Centre for Disaster Research saw him serve as a delegate to two Global Platforms for Risk Reduction, as a Chair for the International Association for Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (Asia-Pacific), and as an Academic Working Group member for 100 Resilient Cities. He currently edits for two disaster-related journals and researches decision-making, technology adoption and risk perception as part of UIC’s Applied Psychology programme.