Thank you for clicking on the link to participate in this voluntary survey.
This survey is hosted by the Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security at Arizona State University. The Center is hosting this survey to assist the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management in guiding an update to the county-wide hazard mitigation planning process.
The purpose of requesting your feedback is to gain insights about how residents and community organizations think about the management of natural hazards issues in Maricopa County. County planners will take your feedback into consideration as it updates the current plan. The Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management updates a hazard mitigation plan every five years. The most recent update of the plan to manage hazards in Maricopa was in 2022 and can be found here.
Your participation in this study is voluntary. If you choose not to participate or to withdraw from the study at any time, there will be no penalty. This survey is short – it should take only about 5 minutes or so to complete. Participation is only for adult residents in Maricopa County – those who are 18 years and older.
Your responses are anonymous – no personal or organizational information is gathered or maintained. In other words, there is no information gathered that could identify you or your specific responses in any way. There are no personal benefits provided to you in completing the survey—but your participation will yield a general public benefit in terms of improving the hazard mitigation planning process in Maricopa County.
This study has been assessed by the Institutional Review Board at Arizona State University. If you have questions specifically about this survey, please contact Dr. Brian Gerber (telephone: +1 602 496 0566 and email: [email protected]), who is serving as the Principal Investigator at Arizona State University for this effort. If you have any questions about your rights as a subject/participant in this research, or if you feel you have been placed at risk, you can contact the Chair of the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board, through the ASU Office of Research Integrity and Assurance, at (480) 965-6788.
Thank you for considering to lend of few moments of your time to help Maricopa County in its hazard mitigation planning process.
Would you like to continue with this survey? First, to begin, we would like to ask you a few questions how you might think about natural hazards in Maricopa County, AZ.
By “natural hazards” we are simply referring to natural processes or environmental events (such as a flood or a drought or an earthquake) that might cause harm to humans, might cause social or economic disruption, or might cause damage to community infrastructure (such as buildings or roads).
With that definition of natural hazard in mind, please take a look at the list of hazards provided below -- and please pick the most important natural hazard that you believe has the greatest potential to cause harm or disruption to you and your household.
Hazard Type and its Definition
Dam Inundation -- a dam break that causes a flood
Drought -- prolonged periods of excessively dry weather that affects water supply
Extreme Heat -- a period of high heat that is significantly above normal temperatures for at least several days -- or longer
Fissure -- a significant ground rupture – a large crack in the ground
Flooding -- flash floods from excessive rains, microburst, river flooding
Levee Failure -- a levee break that causes a flood
Severe Wind -- downbursts, straight-line winds, and/or tornadoes
Subsidence -- gradual settling or sudden sinking of ground surface areas
Wildfire -- unplanned and uncontrolled fire that burns wildland vegetation
Next, let's consider possible government action to address hazards like the ones you just looked at.
Given the presence of these various natural hazards in Maricopa County, we would like to ask your thoughts what kinds of actions city and county governments should take to try to reduce risk and promote community safety.
We will present possible government actions presented in the next several questions. When you read about those possible areas of action, please let us know what you think.
In other words, please indicate whether you think the action presented should be a high priority, a moderate priority, a low priority, or no such action is needed at all.
First, let's get your thoughts on how much of a priority Plans and Regulations should be within Maricopa County. As a government action to manage hazards risk, Plans and Regulations set policies or local codes that guide the way city or county government manage development of land and buildings. These include things like comprehensive plans, land use ordinations, building codes, or subdivision regulations.
In your view, should city and county governments in Maricopa County make Plans and Regulations a high priority, a moderate priority, a low priority, or such efforts should not be a priority at all? Please select one option that best describes your view.
Next, let's get your thoughts on how much of a priority Structure and Infrastructure Projects should be for city and county governments in Maricopa County.
As a government action to manage hazards risk, Structure and Infrastructure Projects refer to actions aimed updating existing buildings and infrastructure or building to higher standards. This includes efforts such as structural retrofits, putting utility lines underground, using culverts or floodwall or retaining walls to manage flood risk.
In your view, should city and county governments in Maricopa County make Structure and Infrastructure Projects a high priority, a moderate priority, a low priority, or should such efforts not be a priority at all?
Please select one option that best describes your view.
Next, let's get your thoughts on how much of a priority Natural Systems Protection and Nature-based Solutions should be in Maricopa County.
Natural Systems Protection and Nature-based Solutions are those actions that minimize damage and losses while saving or restoring the functions of natural systems. This includes actions such as using trees for shading, open space preservation, stream corridor restoration, or conservation easements.
In your view, should city and county governments in Maricopa County make Natural Systems Protection and Nature-based Solutions a high priority, a moderate priority, a low priority, or should such efforts not be a priority at all?
Please select one option that best describes your view.
Lastly, let's get your thoughts on how much of a priority Educational and Awareness Programs should be in Maricopa County.
Education and Awareness Programs are actions aimed at informing and educating citizens, elected officials and property owners about hazards and potential ways to mitigate them. Examples of these types of actions include social media outreach or television ads, real estate disclosure requirements, websites with maps and information, or presentations to schools or community groups.
In your view, should Maricopa County make Education and Awareness Programs a high priority, a moderate priority, a low priority, or such efforts should not be a priority at all?
Please select one option that best describes your view.
Next, we would like to ask you a question about information you and members of your household might use with respect to responding to any disruption from the natural hazards we have been considering in this survey.
Specifically, we would like to know what types of information sources are most important to when it comes reacting to a possible emergency incident, like a wildfire in the area, or a flash flood.
Which of the following would you say is most useful to you and your household during an emergency situation?
If you have had any direct experience, in Maricopa County, with an emergency incident associated with a natural hazard, and you would like to share briefly your thoughts or lessons learned about that incident, please provide any such comments here. (Please type "NA" if you have no comments to share.)
Or if you have any thoughts you think your city or county government should consider during this hazard mitigation planning process, please feel free to add them here.
(Please type "NA" if you have no comments to share.)
We would like to close with just a few more questions.
First, could you provide your five (5) digit zip code for where your organization’s primary place of operations – i.e. the physical location of your offices? If you have multiple operations sites in Maricopa County, please just indicate where your headquarters or main facility might be located.
Finally, please indicate your annual household income range:
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