Hurricanes: Should I Stay or Should I Go?   

In addition to providing a brief overview of the past and upcoming hurricane seasons, Dr. Collins will discuss the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and why we shouldn't rely on it to make our evacuation decisions. She will also provide alternative information and a potential new scale to consider. Dr. Collins will also discuss the role of a COVID-19 in people's decisions to evacuate. Her study examines people's risk perceptions and evacuation planning during the first and second hurricane season when there was a global pandemic (COVID-19) and analyzes if people view public shelters as overtly risky due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they will instead choose to shelter in place despite a recommendation to evacuate to a safer location or a government-operated shelter staffed by local authorities. Dr. Collins will be presenting remotely.