Coastal Bend Hurricane Evacuation Study

Survey # [Survey ID Number]

SURVEY OF EVACUATION EXPERIENCES
IN HURRICANE HARVEY

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
HAZARD REDUCTION
INSTITUTE FOR HAZARD MITIGATION
& RECOVERY CENTER
PLANNING AND RESEARCH

TEXAS A&M
TRANSPORTATION
INSTITUTE

Agency Disclosure Notice: The primary sponsors of this survey are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency. A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays an assigned number from the Office of
Management and Budget. The public reporting burden for this collection of information, 0710-0016, is estimated to
average 30 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,
gathering and maintaining the data needed and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send
comments regarding the burden estimate or burden reduction suggestions to the Department of Defense,
Washington Headquarters Services at whs.mc-alex.esd.mbx.dd-dod-information-collections@mail.mil. Respondents
should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing
to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.
Version 180723-E
OMB NUMBER 0710-0016
OMB EXPIRATION DATE: MM/DD/YYYY

TAMU IRB NUMBER: IRB2018-NNNL
TAMU IRB APPROVAL DATE: MM/DD/2018
TAMU IRB EXPIRATION DATE: MM/DD/20YY

1. On average, how many times per day did you consult each of the following
sources for information about Hurricane Harvey in the three days before landfall?
0
a. Local authorities (e.g., Mayor, Sheriff/Police Chief, Emergency Coordinator) ............. 
b. Local news media (e.g., newspapers, radio stations, television stations) .................... 
c. National news media (e.g., network news, Weather Channel)..................................... 
d. The Internet (e.g., National Hurricane Center website) ................................................ 
e. Social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) ......................................................................... 
f. Phone or face-to-face contact with peers such as friends, relatives, or neighbors ...... 

7 or
1-2 3-4 5-6 more

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2. As the storm was approaching, did you see any of the following
Not
displays on TV…
at all
a. a forecast track showing the “best estimate” of the hurricane center? ........................... 
b. an uncertainty cone only (also called an error cone)? .................................................... 
c. an uncertainty cone with a forecast track inside it? ........................................................ 
d. an ensemble forecast (“spaghetti plot”) showing the results of different models? ......... 
e. a wind swath showing the locations expected to be affected by hurricane wind? ......... 

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Not at all
3. As the storm was approaching, how likely did you think it was that…
likely
a. the eye of the storm would track through your community? ...........................................  
b. the storm would be a major (Category 3, 4, or 5) hurricane when it struck? ..................  
c. your home would be inundated by (saltwater) storm surge? ..........................................  
d. your home would be inundated by (freshwater) inland flooding? ...................................  
e. your home would be severely damaged or destroyed by storm wind? ..........................  
f. you and or household members would be injured or killed if you stayed? .....................  
g. job disruptions would prevent you or household members from working? ....................  
h. there would be disruption to electrical, telephone, and other basic services? ...............  

4. To what extent did you consider the following issues
Not at
when deciding whether or not to evacuate?
all
a. Seeing area businesses closing ..................................................................................... 
b. Seeing friends, relatives, neighbors, or coworkers evacuating ...................................... 
c. Hearing an announcement of a hurricane “watch” or “warning” ..................................... 
d. Hearing local authorities issue official recommendations to evacuate ........................... 
e. Previous personal experience with hurricane storm conditions ..................................... 
f. Previous experience with an unnecessary evacuation ................................................... 
g. Concern about protecting your home from looters ......................................................... 
h. Concern about protecting your home from storm impact ............................................... 
i. Concern about evacuation expenses such as gas, food, and lodging ........................... 
j. Concern about lost income from your job ....................................................................... 
k. Concern about traffic accidents during evacuation ........................................................ 
l. Concern about traffic jams during evacuation ................................................................ 

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Many
times

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Almost
certain

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Very great
extent

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5. Did your household evacuate from Hurricane Harvey? ___ Yes (How many evacuated? _____, go to Question 6)
___ No (Go to Question 29) ___ Not applicable (not Coastal Bend area residents at the time, go to Question 33)
As a reminder: The National Hurricane Center issued a Storm Surge Watch and Hurricane Watch at 10 AM CDT
on Wednesday, August 23. These were upgraded to a Hurricane Warning at 4 AM CDT on Thursday, August 24
and a Storm Surge Warning at 10 AM CDT that same day. The hurricane eye made landfall between Port
Aransas and Port O’Connor about 10 PM on Friday, August 25.
6. My household made the decision to evacuate on:
a. Day: __ Mon 8/21 __ Tue 8/22
__ Wed 8/23
b. Time: |
1

2

3

4

5

AM
6 7

8

9

10

__ Thu 8/24

|
11 Noon 1

2

__ Fri 8/25
3

4

5

__ Sat 8/26

PM
6 7

8

9

__ Sun 8/27

|
10 11 Midnight

Note: Question 6 is asking about the day and time at which you made your decision, not the day and time you
were planning to leave. Circle the corresponding time in 6b and in later questions that have a similar scale.
7. After you decided to evacuate, about how
Didn’t
many minutes did it take for you to:
do
a. prepare to leave from work? ................................................................................. 
b. travel from your place of work to your home? ...................................................... 
c. gather all of the persons who would evacuate with you? ..................................... 
d. pack the items you would need while gone? ........................................................ 
e. protect your property from storm damage (e.g., board up windows)? ................. 
f. shut off utilities, secure your home, and leave? ................................................... 
g. prepare household pets for evacuating ................................................................ 
Version 180723-E
OMB NUMBER 0710-0016
OMB EXPIRATION DATE: MM/DD/YYYY

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115

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1630

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3145

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46- 61 or
60 more

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TAMU IRB NUMBER: IRB2018-NNNL
TAMU IRB APPROVAL DATE: MM/DD/2018
TAMU IRB EXPIRATION DATE: MM/DD/20YY

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8. Did you make any local trips within your community after you decided to evacuate but before you left?
___ No (Go to Question 10)
___ Yes (How many trips? __________, Go to Question 9)
9. What did you do on those trips (check all that apply): ___ Buy gas ___ Buy water ___ Buy food
___ Buy medicine ___ Get money ___ Buy property protection materials ___ Pick up other riders
___ Other ___________________________________________________________________________
10. Did everyone in your household leave at the same time?
__ Yes (Go to Question 12) __ No (Go to Question 11)
11. How many groups/individuals left at different times? ___One group ___Two groups ___Three or more groups
12. The first group (or the only group if there was just one) evacuated on…
a. Day: __ Mon 8/21 __ Tue 8/22
__ Wed 8/23 __ Thu 8/24
__ Fri 8/25
b. Time: |
1

2

3

4

5

AM
6 7

8

9

10

|
11 Noon 1

2

3

4

5

__ Sat 8/26

PM
6 7

8

__ Sun 8/27

|
10 11 Midnight

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If your household left in just one group, go to Question 14.
13. The second group evacuated on…
a. Day: __ Mon 8/21 __ Tue 8/22
b. Time: |
1

2

3

4

5

AM
6 7

__ Wed 8/23
8

9

10

__ Thu 8/24

|
11 Noon 1

2

__ Fri 8/25
3

4

5

__ Sat 8/26

PM
6 7

8

__ Sun 8/27

|
10 11 Midnight

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14. Which highway(s) did the first (or only) group expect to take when evacuating? (Check all that apply.)
__ FM 236
__ FM 624
__ FM 665
__ SH 35
__ SH 44
__ SH 60
__ SH 71
__ SH 111
__ SH 141
__ SH 172
__ SH 185
__ SH 188
__ SH 202
__ SH 239
__ SH 285
__ US 59
__ US 77
__ US 77A/183 __ US 87
__ US 181
__ I-37
__ Other major roads (list): ___________________________________________________________________
15. What were reasons why you planned to take these highways/roads? They were … (Check all that apply.)
__ suggested in the news media (TV, radio, newspaper).
__ authorized evacuation routes.
__ suggested by a navigation device or mapping app.
__ routes that I already knew well.
__ suggested by someone I knew personally.
__ suggested in social media.
__ other (please describe): ___________________________________________________
16. Did the route change during the evacuation? ___ No (Go to Question 19)

___ Yes

17. To what extent was each of the following a reason you changed
Not at
your route during the evacuation?
all
a. Directions from police or transportation officials on the evacuation route ...................... 
b. Visual observation of traffic conditions on the evacuation route .................................... 
c. Reports of traffic conditions on the radio ........................................................................ 
d. Reports of traffic conditions through phone calls or cell phone apps ............................. 
e. Other (please describe)
........................ 

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Very great
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18. What highway(s) did you actually take during your evacuation? (Check all that apply.)
__ FM 236
__ FM 624
__ FM 665
__ SH 35
__ SH 44
__ SH 60
__ SH 71
__ SH 111
__ SH 141
__ SH 172
__ SH 185
__ SH 188
__ SH 202
__ SH 239
__ SH 285
__ US 59
__ US 77
__ US 77A/183 __ US 87
__ US 181
__ I-37
__ Other major roads (list): ___________________________________________________________________
19. In total, how many vehicles did your household take in the evacuation? ________ vehicles
20. How many registered vehicles did your immediate household have at that time? ________ vehicles
21. How many trailers (including boats & campers) did your household take in the evacuation? _______ trailers
22. If you did not use your own private vehicle, what form of transportation did you use to evacuate?
___ Rode with someone else
___ Used public transit
___ Other (please specify)
Please answer the last set of questions on the next page.

Version 180723-E
OMB NUMBER 0710-0016
OMB EXPIRATION DATE: MM/DD/YYYY

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TAMU IRB NUMBER: IRB2018-NNNL
TAMU IRB APPROVAL DATE: MM/DD/2018
TAMU IRB EXPIRATION DATE: MM/DD/20YY

23. In (or near) what city did you spend your first night after evacuating? ___________________________________
24. Did you arrange a place to stay before you reached your evacuation destination? ___ No
___ Yes, I contacted them before evacuating ___ Yes, I contacted them while on the road
25. Where did you stay when you got to your destination?
_____ Hotel/motel
_____ Public shelter

_____ Home of friend/relative
_____ Other (please specify)

26. During your evacuation, how many days did you spend away from home?
________ days or _____ Have not been able to return home (please go to Question 28).
27. How much do you estimate it cost for your household to evacuate? $___________ Transportation (e.g., gas)
$___________ Food
$___________ Lodging
$_____________ Lost income
28. Did your household have…
No
a. household members who needed special medical assistance to evacuate? ............................... 
b. pets that needed to be evacuated with other household members? ............................................ 
29. Did you rent or own the home where you lived at the time Harvey struck?
30. Was this your primary or secondary residence? _____ Primary

_____ Rent

Yes

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_____ Own

_____ Secondary

31. Which of the following best describes the type of structure in which you lived at the time of Hurricane Harvey?
_____ Detached single family home _____ Multi-family, 1-2 stories _____ Multi-family, 3 or more stories
_____ Mobile or manufactured home _____ Other (please specify) __________________________________
32. Was that place located in a…
No
a. hurricane risk area? ......................................................................................................... 
b. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood zone ....................................... 

Unsure
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Yes
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For answering Questions 33 through 37, begin each question with: “At the time of Hurricane Harvey, …”
33. …what was your age?

_______ years old

34. …what was your marital status?_____ Married

_____ Single

_____ Divorced

_____ Widowed

35. …how many people in your household were:
_____ Less than 18 years ______ 18-65 years old ______ Over 65 years
36. …what was your highest level of education? _____ Some high school
_____ Some college/vocational school
_____ College graduate

_____ High school graduate/GED
_____ Graduate school

37. …what was your yearly household income? _____ Less than $21,499
_____ $35,000–44,999
_____ $45,000–54,999
_____ $65,000–74,999
_____ $75,000–99,999
38. What is your sex?

_____ Male

_____ $21,500–34,999
_____ $55,000–64,999
_____ $100,000 or more

_____ Female

39. Which of the following best describes your race?
_____ White
_____ Black
_____ Asian or Pacific Islander
_____ American Indian or Alaskan Native
_____ Other
40. Are you of Hispanic, Latino(a), or Spanish origin? _____ Yes

_____ No

41. Considering what happened in Hurricane Harvey, would you respond differently to a similar storm in the future?
_____ No _____ Yes (What would you do different?) ________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
If you have any additional comments about your Hurricane Harvey experience, please write them below.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for the time you have taken to fill out this questionnaire. Please return it in the provided envelope.
Version 180723-E
OMB NUMBER 0710-0016
OMB EXPIRATION DATE: MM/DD/YYYY

3

TAMU IRB NUMBER: IRB2018-NNNL
TAMU IRB APPROVAL DATE: MM/DD/2018
TAMU IRB EXPIRATION DATE: MM/DD/20YY