Department of Sociology, Florida State University.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2019 Aug 21;74(6):1032-1040. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx119.
Pets influence evacuation decisions, but little is known about pet-friendly emergency shelters' availability or older adults' need for them. Our study addresses this issue, focusing on the most densely populated area of Florida (Miami-Dade)-the state with the oldest population and greatest hurricane susceptibility.
We use Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based methodology to identify the shortest paths to pet-friendly shelters, based on distance and congested and uncongested travel times-taking into account the older population's spatial distribution. Logistic regression models using the 2013 American Housing Survey's Disaster Planning Module examine anticipated shelter use as a function of pet ownership and requiring pet evacuation assistance.
Thirty-four percent of older adults in the Miami-Dade area have pets-35% of whom report needing pet evacuation assistance. However, GIS accessibility measures show that travel time factors are likely to impede older adults' use of the area's few pet-friendly shelters. Logistic regression results reveal that pet owners are less likely to report anticipating shelter use; however, the opposite holds for pet owners reporting they would need help evacuating their pets-they anticipate using shelters.
High pet shelter need coupled with low availability exacerbates older adults' heightened vulnerability during Florida's hurricane season.
宠物会影响疏散决策，但对于宠物友好型紧急避难所的可用性或老年人对此的需求知之甚少。我们的研究解决了这个问题，重点关注佛罗里达州人口最密集的地区（迈阿密-戴德县）——该州人口最老，飓风易感性最大。
我们使用基于地理信息系统（GIS）的方法，根据距离和拥挤及非拥挤的旅行时间，确定通往宠物友好型避难所的最短路径，同时考虑到老年人口的空间分布。使用 2013 年美国住房调查的灾害规划模块中的逻辑回归模型，考察宠物拥有和需要宠物疏散援助与预期避难所使用之间的关系。
迈阿密-戴德地区 34%的老年人拥有宠物——其中 35%的人表示需要宠物疏散援助。然而，GIS 可达性测量结果表明，旅行时间因素可能会阻碍老年人使用该地区为数不多的宠物友好型避难所。逻辑回归结果表明，宠物主人不太可能报告预期的避难所使用情况；然而，对于那些报告需要帮助疏散宠物的宠物主人来说，情况正好相反——他们预计会使用避难所。
高宠物避难所需求与低可用性相结合，加剧了佛罗里达州飓风季节老年人的脆弱性。
