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Effect of Emergency Preparedness Education on Disaster Preparedness Practices among Residents of Flood-Prone Communities in Nigeria

Abstract

Flooding is a major environmental and public health concern in Nigeria because flood events can result in deaths, injuries, displacement, destruction of homes and livelihoods, contamination of water sources, disruption of healthcare services, and increased risks of waterborne and other infectious diseases. Residents of flood-prone communities may face repeated exposure to flooding and associated emergencies, making household and community preparedness essential for reducing health and safety risks. Emergency preparedness education provides residents with knowledge and practical skills relating to flood risk awareness, early warning systems, emergency communication, evacuation procedures, emergency supplies, household emergency plans, first aid, protection of drinking water and food, safe movement during floods, identification of evacuation routes, and appropriate actions before, during, and after flood emergencies. Disaster preparedness practices refer to actions undertaken by individuals and households to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disaster events, including development of emergency plans, preparation of emergency supplies, awareness of evacuation routes, monitoring of early warnings, protection of essential documents and valuables, safe water and food storage, first-aid preparedness, and timely evacuation. In Nigeria, inadequate awareness of flood risks, limited access to reliable early warning information, weak community emergency systems, poor infrastructure, limited household resources, and inadequate disaster preparedness education may affect residents' ability to prepare effectively for flood emergencies. Effective emergency preparedness education may improve residents' knowledge, risk perception, confidence, and adoption of recommended disaster preparedness practices. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of emergency preparedness education on disaster preparedness practices among residents of flood-prone communities in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Protection Motivation Theory. The Health Belief Model explains preventive behaviour through perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action, providing a basis for understanding residents' decisions to adopt flood preparedness measures. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, behavioural capabilities, and environmental conditions in shaping preparedness behaviour. Protection Motivation Theory explains how perceived threats, coping appraisal, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and perceived response costs influence individuals' decisions to adopt protective actions in response to environmental hazards. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how emergency preparedness education may influence disaster preparedness practices among residents of flood-prone communities in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from residents of selected flood-prone communities in Nigeria using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and a disaster preparedness practices checklist. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, local government areas, flood-prone communities, households, and eligible adult residents. Where feasible, selected communities or resident groups will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Residents in the intervention group will receive structured emergency preparedness education covering flood risks and warning signs, early warning systems, emergency communication, household emergency planning, evacuation procedures and routes, preparation of emergency kits, first aid, safe water and food storage, protection of important documents, electrical and household safety during floods, and appropriate actions before, during, and after flood events. Disaster preparedness practices will be assessed using indicators such as household emergency planning, preparation of emergency supplies, knowledge of evacuation routes, monitoring of early warning information, availability of first-aid materials, safe water and food storage, protection of important documents, emergency communication arrangements, and timely evacuation preparedness. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize residents' sociodemographic characteristics, flood experience, exposure to emergency preparedness education, and disaster preparedness practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and logistic or multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the effect of emergency preparedness education on disaster preparedness practices. Where appropriate, pre-intervention and post-intervention preparedness scores will be compared. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instrument, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that emergency preparedness education has a significant positive effect on disaster preparedness practices among residents of flood-prone communities in Nigeria. Residents exposed to structured emergency preparedness education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of flood risks and greater adoption of recommended preparedness measures. Education may improve household emergency planning, emergency supply preparation, awareness of evacuation routes, monitoring of early warning messages, first-aid preparedness, safe storage of drinking water and food, protection of important documents, and readiness to evacuate when necessary. It may also improve residents' confidence in responding to flood emergencies and reduce reliance on unsafe practices during flood events. However, education alone may not guarantee adequate preparedness because residents may continue to face barriers such as poverty, inadequate drainage systems, poor road access, limited availability of emergency shelters, unreliable early warning systems, lack of emergency resources, and repeated exposure to severe flooding. Consequently, emergency preparedness education is expected to be most effective when supported by functional early warning systems, accessible evacuation routes, community emergency response structures, adequate shelters, emergency supplies, flood-control infrastructure, and effective collaboration between communities and disaster management authorities. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on disaster preparedness, flood risk reduction, emergency health education, environmental health, community resilience, health promotion, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the effect of emergency preparedness education on disaster preparedness practices among residents of flood-prone communities. The findings will provide useful information to the National Emergency Management Agency, state emergency management agencies, local government authorities, relevant ministries and agencies, public health practitioners, environmental health officers, community leaders, non-governmental organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening community preparedness for flood-related emergencies. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for expanding emergency preparedness education, strengthening community-based disaster preparedness programmes, improving early warning systems, developing effective evacuation plans, increasing access to emergency supplies and shelters, and enhancing community resilience to flooding and other disasters in Nigeria.

Keywords: Emergency preparedness education, disaster preparedness practices, flood-prone communities, flood preparedness, emergency response, disaster risk reduction, community resilience, environmental health, health education, flood risk, public health, Nigeria.