Pages: 67-76

Abstract

The risks of accidents and disasters such as earthquakes, floods and the vulnerability of people to structural and non-structural damages are very high in many regions of Iran, including the city of Rudsar. This article has studied the important issue of operational preparedness of the families in Rudsar in the face of possible accidents, disasters and crises. The aim of the study is to investigate the factors influencing the participation of citizens in possible accidents in Rudsar and to suggest ways for increasing their participation. The study is an applied one and has used the existing literature and description as its method of data collection. The research sample included the household families in the rural and urban areas of Rudsar during the winter of 2015. Sampling was done by clustering method and the questionnaires were randomly distributed among the household women who were accessed through the health centers in the region. The data was analyzed in SPSS 18. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between training and household preparedness which indicates the direct relationship between training and preparedness among the families of Rudsar in the face of accidents and disasters. Therefore, to increase inclusive participation of everyone for controlling the accidents and disasters it is necessary to conduct training for all age groups especially for the women of the families – who are possible to reach at through the health centers – so that the latter group could transfer the training to all the other family members. It is recommended that certain measures be taken to empower the rural and urban families in the face of accidents and disasters as well as self-care in human-made disasters and the arrangement of household objects and the automobile in a safe way.