Emergency Stockpiling of Food and Drinking Water in Preparation for Earthquakes: Evidence From a Survey Conducted in Sendai City, Japan

Kawashima, Shigekazu; Morita, Akira; Higuchi, Teizo

Emergency Stockpiling of Food and Drinking Water in Preparation for Earthquakes: Evidence From a Survey Conducted in Sendai City, Japan

2012

Kawashima, Shigekazu | Morita, Akira | Higuchi, Teizo

This article assesses the emergency stockpiling of food and drinking water at the household level and identifies the socioeconomic factors affecting households' decision making in this regard. The results show that only 30% of the respondents stock both food and drinking water as recommended. Further, around 65% of the respondents are projected to be food insecure when essential utilities become unavailable. Our probit regression results reject the moral hazard hypothesis in disaster preparedness and show that emergency food stockpiles are treated as luxury goods despite their importance. The policy implications of our results are discussed with the view of strengthening community-based disaster management.

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