Suchergebnisse

The consequences of the floods that had affected the area of Serbia in 2014
indicated a very low level of preparedness of population to respond to
natural disasters. Therefore, the aim of quantitative research is to examine
the impact of fear on the willingness of citizens to respond to a natural
disaster caused by the flood in the Republic of Serbia. Bearing in mind all
local communities in Serbia where floods occurred or there is a high risk of
flooding, there was selected a random sample consisting of 19 out of 150
municipalities and 23 towns and the city of Belgrade. In the selected
communities, a research was undertaken in those areas that had been most
affected in relation to the amount of water or potential risk of flooding.
The survey used strategy of testing in households with the use of a multi-
stage random sample. The research results indicate that the citizens who have
a fear of floods are familiar with safety procedures to a greater extent in
relation to citizens who do not have the fear; they have taken the preventive
measures; they point out that they still are not ready to respond, but plan
to do so in the next 6 months; they would evacuate to the upper floor of the
house; they point out that someone in the family has educated them about the
flood. In contrast to that, citizens who do not have the fear are not doing
anything to prepare themselves to react in such situations, they are
confident in their own abilities to cope with the consequences of floods,
etc. The originality of the research lies in the fact that in Serbia there
has never been conducted a research to examine the state of preparedness of
citizens to respond. Bearing in mind that the research is based on the
territory of Serbia, conclusions can be generalized to the entire population.
The research results can be used when creating a strategy for improving the
level of preparedness of citizens to respond.