Evaluation of Disaster Perception Levels of University Students: A Sample Application Study

Abstract

Disasters are important events that are difficult to predict and occur in various ways, often with high destructive power. Earthquakes, floods, droughts, major industrial accidents, famine, technological accidents, epidemics, etc. are only a few of the major types of disas-ters that mankind has been exposed to from past to present. In recent years, natural and unnatural disaster events have been observed both in Turkey (Düzce-earthquake, 1999; Giresun-Dereli-flood-flood, 2020; Kahramanmaraş-Pazarcık-earthquake, 2023) and in many other parts of the world (Sumatra-tsunami, 2004; Ecuador-earthquake, 2016; USA-hurricane-storm, 2023). The impact of disasters is often not limited to one region but can spread over a wide area. As a matter of fact, the impact of this destruction can be reduced at some point thanks to various measures that can be taken before the disaster. For exam-ple, identification of regional risks, early warning systems, crisis management, emergency action plans, etc. can be considered within the scope of these measures. Another important issue is to increase the level of disaster awareness of the society. Especially in regions where disaster risk maps have been prepared, such awareness raising activities can be carried out to make the reaction of the society against disasters more controlled and conscious. The aforementioned issues constitute the main objective of this study. This study was conducted to evaluate the disaster awareness levels of Gümüşhane Univer-sity central campus students. The data obtained in the study were analyzed using SPPS 25 statistical program. In the study, a 5-point Likert scale was used to measure disaster risk perception. In the study, frequency analysis test, Kruskal Wallis test and Mann Whitney U test were performed. As a result of the analysis, it was analyzed at 5% level of significance (p