Trust and Patience after a Tornado

In: Weather, climate & society, Band 9, Heft 4, S. 659-668

Abstract

Abstract
This study examines how individuals' trust levels and patience are affected by a tornado event. Affected and unaffected people were surveyed after a 2013 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, that resulted in 24 fatalities. Findings suggest that those who self-identified as affected became more trusting in general as well as more trusting of police and fire authorities. Affected homeowners also exhibited less patience than their unaffected counterparts. The evaluation of differences in trust and patience enables us to learn about how underlying propensities to invest (or reinvest) in critical private and public infrastructure may be influenced by extreme events. Disasters alter trust levels and patience of affected residents, and documenting the direction and magnitude of these changes may help agencies involved in the recovery process.