Effects of earthquake experiences on household preparedness: a community-based survey in Kerman Province, Iran

Introduction: Iran is considered as one of the highly disaster-prone countries in the world. Preparedness is one of the important phases of disaster management. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of earthquake experiences on household preparedness. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional research conducted on a total of 500 households living in Bam and Rafsanjan counties. The data were collected using a standardised earthquake preparedness questionnaire through randomised sampling. The data were analysed using the T-test and descriptive statistics. Findings: Based on the data, difference of total preparedness scores between two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The mean score of preparedness of Bam households was higher than preparedness of Rafsanjan households. Conclusion: Disaster-experienced households benefit from higher levels of preparedness rather than households without any earthquake experience in Kerman Province, Iran. Community-based education, training, exercising and collaborating are suggested as important factors to improve preparedness.