Enhancing Tornado Preparedness and Protective Action for Persons with Disabilities: Addressing Barriers and Facilitators, in Identifying Tornado Warning Needs and Barriers to Protective Action for Individuals with Disabilities

This document collection contains the survey instrument and study protocol for a research project examining tornado warning needs and barriers to protective action among individuals with disabilities during the December 10–11, 2021 tornado outbreak.

The protocol outlines the theoretical framework (Protective Action Decision Model), study objectives, and methodological design, including a cross-sectional survey administered via Qualtrics. The survey targeted adults with self-reported disabilities residing in tornado-affected counties across Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Arkansas and included 209 participants. The instrument consists of 28 questions across multiple domains, including risk perception, warning communication, barriers to protective action, mental health indicators (PHQ-9, PTSD checklist), and resilience (DARS scale).

The dataset associated with this study is not publicly available due to Institutional Review Board (IRB) restrictions and the lack of participant consent for public data sharing. Although the survey responses were collected anonymously, the combination of demographic and contextual variables presents a potential risk of re-identification. Therefore, raw data cannot be shared in this repository.

This document is provided to support research transparency and to allow other researchers to understand, adapt, or replicate the survey design and methodology in studies related to disaster preparedness, disability, and risk communication.

While no raw data are included, this instrument and protocol may be reused for academic research, policy development, community-based interventions, and training focused on inclusive disaster preparedness.

这个项目旨在研究什么？
本项目调查了残障人士（PWDs）在2021年12月10日至11日的龙卷风爆发事件期间如何接收和响应龙卷风灾害信息。研究识别了残障人士在获取预警信息和采取防护行动时面临的障碍，以及促进其行动能力的资源。通过专门设计的调查工具，本研究收集了关于龙卷风风险感知、防护行为及行动障碍等主题的实证数据，重点关注极端天气事件中残障人士在物理和社会环境中遭遇的独特挑战。

该项目的数据如何复用？
本项目收集的数据可通过识别极端天气事件中残障人士面临的关键障碍和可用资源，用于完善包容性灾害风险减少（DRR）计划。政策制定者、应急管理者和研究者可利用这些发现开发公平的预警系统、提升避难所的可达性，并制定包容性应急响应策略。此外，该调查工具和数据集可用于未来研究，以评估其他灾害情境或地区中的类似脆弱性和防护行为，推动其在灾害风险管理中的更广泛应用。

该项目的独特性体现在何处？
本项目独特地聚焦于残障与灾害响应的交叉领域，利用防护行动决策模型（PADM）填补了龙卷风相关研究中的关键空白。研究对结构性和环境因素（如交通可达性、避难所及沟通渠道）的强调，为理解残障人士在龙卷风事件中面临的差异提供了全面视角。研究结果为制定包容性DRR策略提供了可操作的见解，而这些策略在主流灾害规划中常被忽视。

目标受众是谁？
目标受众包括政策制定者、应急管理专业人员、国家气象预报员、学术研究者，以及专注于残障权益倡导和灾害准备的组织。此外，研究结果与旨在制定和实施包容性政策及项目的地方政府机构、社区规划者和社会工作从业者相关。本项目也为研究残障、灾害响应与社会脆弱性交叉领域的学者提供了宝贵资源。

本项目强调了在灾害期间满足残障人士独特需求的重要性，并为包容性灾害准备与响应的知识体系做出了贡献。其研究结果旨在推动公平且可达的防护措施，确保在极端天气事件中不让任何群体掉队。