Women are quicker to take cover or prepare to evacuate during an emergency
women are quicker to take cover or prepare to evacuate during an emergency, but often have trouble convincing the men in their life to do so, a new study suggests.
"We also found that there are many barriers that disadvantage women in the event of a disaster, leaving them behind when it comes to decision-making and potentially slowing down their recovery," said study lead author Melissa Villarreal from the University of Colorado Boulder in the US. For the study, the researchers analyzed in-depth interviews with 33 women and 10 men across two Texas towns.
Some were from Granbury, which in 2013 was hit by an EF-4 tornado that killed six people and cut a mile-wide swathe of destruction, damaging 600 homes. According to the researchers, eliminating the male head-of-household model is crucial for speeding overall household recovery.