Human and Psychosocial Factors Associated With Natural Hazard Impacts and Crisis Response, Management, and Transportation: A Narrative Literature Review - Abstract
Natural hazards such as floods and fires have become recurrent occurrences in recent years, causing significant impacts on society, the economy, and security worldwide. These severe traumatic events have become almost daily, affecting people’s behavior, psychology, emotions, spirits, attitudes, and values throughout the disaster management cycle from prevention to recovery. This study aims to review the literature on the human and psychosocial factors associated with natural hazard impacts, with a focus on floods and fires’ impacts on adult survivors. The paper also examines the crisis response management
while considering the availability of successful evacuation plans and transport-related decisions, as well as emphasizing the importance of conceptualizing new technologies in disaster management. One of the significant findings from the literature review is that natural hazards can have long-lasting effects on survivors’ psychosocial well-being. Survivors may experience post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and other emotional and mental health issues, which can affect their daily lives, relationships, and overall quality of life. In addition, the study highlights the importance of successful evacuation plans and transport-related decisions in crisis response management. Effective and efficient transportation systems can facilitate timely evacuations, reduce congestion, and increase the chances of survivors reaching safety. However, there is an urgent need for additional cohort or longitudinal studies to focus on psychosocial interventions following floods and fires to better understand how to support survivors. Such studies can provide insights into effective strategies and interventions for improving survivors’ psychosocial well-being and enhancing their overall recovery process