Abstract
Guided by the problematic integration theory, the purpose of this study was to determine what probabilistic and evaluative orientations were formed during post-disaster decision-making following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the 2011 Tuscaloosa Tornado, the 2011 Mississippi Delta flooding, and a pair of tornados in Hattiesburg Mississippi in 2013 and 2017. A series of focus groups were conducted in communities impacted by these disasters. Five different themes emerged when coding the focus group data for probabilistic and evaluative orientations formed: (1) Distrust, (2) Disorientation, (3) Desperation, (4) Disparity, and (5) Disconnection. The broader implications of this study shed light on how people handle personal uncertainty, especially in situations where their lives have been dramatically shifted in a negative way.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Notes on contributors
Braden Hale Bagley
Braden Hale Bagley is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication at Southern Utah University. He received his PhD in Communication Studies from The University of Southern Mississippi.
Candace Forbes Bright
Candace Forbes Bright is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at East Tennessee State University. She received her PhD in International Development from The University of Southern Mississippi.
Edward Sayre
Edward Sayre is the Director of the School of Social Science and Global Studies and Professor of Economics at the University of Southern Mississippi. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Roma Hanks
Roma Hanks is the Department Chair and Professor of Sociology at the University of South Alabama. She received her PhD in Family Studies/Gerontology from the University of Delaware.
Sarah Wraight
Sarah Wraight is a researcher at the University of South Alabama. She received her MA from the University of South Alabama.