ASSESSING COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS AND VOLUNTEER RESPONSE CAPACITY TO TROPICAL CYCLONES ON OMAN’S AL BATINAH COAST

Povzetek

This study assesses community disaster preparedness and volunteer response capacity to tropical cyclones along Oman’s Al Batinah coast through a cross-sectional household survey of residents (N = 149). The questionnaire captured household and community preparedness actions, volunteer skills and willingness, risk perception, and prior cyclone experience. Preparedness was uneven: only 14.1% reported a written emergency plan, 16.8% had flood barriers or sandbags, and 25.5% held cyclone/flood insurance, while 69.1% maintained an emergency kit and 53.0% reported that all family members knew multiple evacuation routes. At the community level, early-warning penetration was high (91.9% receive official SMS alerts), but participation in drills (32.2%) and the presence of active emergency committees (40.9%) were limited. Volunteerism emerged as a major asset yet remained mostly informal: 62.4% had previously volunteered and 87.9% were very willing to assist in a future cyclone, but only 33.6% belonged to an organized emergency group and 26.2% reported no formal emergency training; access to specialized equipment was scarce. Risk perception and social capital were strong: most respondents expected a severe cyclone within five years and serious impacts if it occurred; trust in official warnings was near universal (93.3%), and 88.6% expected neighbors to help one another. Prior experience appeared catalytic, with 19.5% reporting changes to homes or habits after past events. When asked about priorities, respondents favored community-based training (55.7%), followed by neighborhood committees (12.1%), subsidized preparedness equipment (12.8%), and volunteer coordination centers (10.1%). Findings indicate that Al Batinah communities possess awareness, willingness, and cohesion but require structured local planning, regular training, formalized volunteer networks, and improved household mitigation/insurance to translate potential into resilience—advancing Oman’s alignment with the Sendai Framework’s community-centered disaster risk reduction.