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Mobile home residents are known to be highly vulnerable to tornadoes and account for a considerable portion of tornado-related fatalities. The problem is partially related to the limited protection provided by the structure; however, shortcomings in preparedness and response to warnings may also play a role. This study investigated mobile home resident preparedness and responses to warnings for identifying areas where they might be more vulnerable than permanent home residents (brick and wood-frame houses). The study site was Macon County, Tennessee, which reported the highest number of fatalities during the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak. A post-disaster survey was conducted within days of the disaster, and the study group included 127 local residents: 35% mobile home (MH) residents, 61% permanent home (PH) residents, and 4% other. An unconditional exact test was used to test for statistical significance (0.05 level) because the sample was nonrandom. The MH residents were less prepared than the PH residents in all six categories evaluated. The difference was significant in having participated in a tornado drill, having a tornado-resistant shelter on the premises, and having an emergency response plan for seeking shelter. The MH residents were also less likely to follow the plan, and the difference was significant. Furthermore, the MH residents were much less likely to take shelter in a safe location. Preparedness factors that promoted higher evacuation rates among MH residents included having participated in a tornado drill, understanding the definition of a tornado warning, and having a plan for seeking shelter.

This paper contributes to existing knowledge on factors that influence adoption of hazards adjustments for tornadoes. The Protective Action Decision Model provides the theoretical basis for the study, which was conducted after the 2011 disaster in DeKalb County, Alabama. Most of the 124 survey participants had received public safety information on how to prepare for a tornado, understood the definition of a tornado warning, had participated in a tornado drill, and had a plan for seeking shelter. Few owned a NOAA weather radio or had a tornado-resistant shelter on the premises. Demographic analysis found that older residents (60+ yr) and households without children were significantly less likely to have participated in a tornado drill, lower income residents were significantly less likely to have a tornado-resistant shelter on the premises or a plan for seeking shelter, and mobile home residents were significantly less likely to have a plan for seeking shelter. Locus of control and past experience were not significantly associated with adoption of hazards adjustments, but suspected reasons for these results are discussed. Many plans that involved evacuating to another location included excessively long travel distances, and several mobile home residents planned to seek shelter inside their residence. Failure to adopt effective preparedness actions in each of these areas could serve as a situational impediment to making an appropriate protective action decision when a tornado threatens the household. The results identify aspects of household preparedness where there is opportunity for improvement, which would reduce vulnerability and enhance community resilience.

A small impc:>undment (SI) inventory was made by county for Alabama by using Landsat 5 TM satellite imagery from the winter of 2007 to enumerate and measure surface areas of water bodies. The result was identification of 278,787 Sis >0.18 ha (0.44 ac) and <2,000 ha (4,972 ac) in surface area with a combined water surface area of 261,880 ha (647,105 ac).The average surface area of Sis was 0.94 ha (2.32 ac)-84.8% were <1 ha (2.5 ac), and 92.7% were <2 ha (4.94 ac) in area. Ground-truthing in one county revealed that the procedure had an accuracy of 80% in identifying Sis. The density of Sis tended to increase slightly in counties of higher population density. Some physiographic provinces had greater density of Sis than others; however, the average surface area of individual ponds did not differ greatly among provinces. The total volume of Sis was estimated to be « 6 km-* (4,900,000 ac ft)-roughly 8.1% of annual runoff for the state. After initial filling by direct precipitation and runoff. Sis are seldom drained, and they overflow after periods of considerable rainfall minimizing retention of runoff. It was estimated that Sis in Alabama lessen annual runoff by about 0.35 cm y"' (0.14 in yr"')-a reduction of about 0.6'X)-mainly because evaporation from their surfaces exceeds evapotranspiration loss for an equal land area. Nevertheless, Sis probably flatten peaks of downstream hydrographs. It should be possible to use water from Sis to svipplement existing water supplies in certain localities, and Sis create open-water, shoreline, and wetland habitat as well as detain and improve the quality of surface runoff.

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