Determinants of Organizational Preparedness for Floods: U.S. Employees’ Perceptions

Abstract

Globally, and in the United States, flooding is considered one of the most destructive natural hazards in terms of lives lost, injuries, and economic losses. Despite the growing concern of climate change impacts on organizations in particular and society in general, very little is known about the factors influencing public, private, and nonprofit organizations to prepare for flood hazards. This article examines the predictors of flood preparedness in organizations using information collected via an online questionnaire from a national sample of 2008 employees of public, private, and nonprofit organizations in the United States in 2014. The findings revealed that in general, organization size and organization age are robust predictors of flood preparedness. This article concludes by discussing the implications of the results for theory, offering recommendations for practice, and outlining an agenda for future research on the predictors of flood preparedness at the organizational level.