How Communication Ecology Impacts Disaster Support Seeking in Multiethnic Communities: The Roles of Disaster Communication Network Size, Heterogeneity, and Localness

Advancing a network concept of disaster communication ecology, the current study explores how key properties of one's disaster communication network-which consists of interpersonal, media, and organizational ties-influence various kinds of support-seeking processes during a natural disaster, the 2021 Texas Winter Storm. Specifically, the study investigates how the sizes, heterogeneity, and localness of individuals' disaster communication networks predict the frequencies of seeking emotional, informational, and physical support during the disaster, using survey data collected from a multiethnic community. Results indicate that different network properties of disaster communication ecologies are related to different types of support seeking levels. Furthermore, the localness and heterogeneity of interpersonal ties, as well as the heterogeneity of media ties, significantly vary across major ethnic groups.