Warning Confidence and Perceptions of Lava Flow Hazard Diversion Strategies at Kīlauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, Hawai‘i

The 2014-15 lava flow crisis at Kīlauea volcano, Hawai‘i and post-September 2015 elevated unrest at adjacent Mauna Loa volcano provided opportunities to assess households’ psychological and behavioral responses to different levels of volcanic activity. Weused the Protective Action Decision Model to examine stakeholder perceptions and confidence in warnings, in addition toattitudes toward lava flow mitigation strategies, such as diversion by berms and bombing, and people’s acceptance of additional risk to personal property in exchange for protecting important elements of their community, such as schools, major roads, electrical substation, and shopping centers. Respondents’ confidence in events important in decision-making during emergencies and evacuations were significantly correlated with their past experience with lava forecasts. Consistent with previous studies, overall support for the two different mitigation measures was higher for earthen berms/trenches than it was for bombing/blasting. Finally, diversion acceptance was strongly correlated with residents’ perceptions of lava flow diversion strategies