How are Asian-Americans different from other races in disaster preparedness in the context of caregiving responsibilities and preparation information access?

This study focused on Asian-Americans who have rarely been studied in previous disaster research and examined their disaster preparedness when they provided caregiving. Using a sample of 4316 individuals from the 2017 Federal Emergency Management Agency National Household Survey, linear regressions were performed to investigate racial differences in disaster preparedness of individuals with two types of caregiving responsibilities (i.e., 1) caring for children, and (2) caring for older adults or those with disabilities), as well as how access to preparedness-related information moderated such differences. The results showed that on average individuals who had children in their households reported better disaster preparedness, so did those who provided care for older or disabled family members or friends. But further examination with two-way interaction showed that this finding did not apply to Asians, among whom the caregivers of children were particularly disadvantaged with lower levels of preparedness relative to non-caregivers. Actually, Asian caregivers of children were the most disadvantaged group when compared to either caregivers or and non-caregivers of other races, namely White, African-American, and Native American. In addition, the vulnerability of Asian caregivers of children was magnified when there is a lack of information about how to get better prepared for disasters. The findings highlighted the uniqueness of the Asian population in disaster preparedness, their vulnerability to caregiving responsibilities, and the importance of information access. The findings could guide interventions and programs to serve and engage Asian communities in disaster planning and promote their disaster preparedness and resilience.