Date of Award
2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Marine Affairs
Department
Marine Affairs
First Advisor
Austin Becker
Abstract
Disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, and nuclear incidents will continue to threaten the safety of Americans at home. Whether these disasters occur in large urban areas or isolated rural communities, they often result in evacuations. Most evacuations in the United States occur by private automobile; however, a significant portion of the U.S. population lacks access to a personal vehicle and relies on other means of transportation. Others live on islands and in isolated communities with limited roads for vehicle evacuation. As demonstrated by the delayed evacuation of 20,000 people from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, additional means of evacuation are needed, especially for the carless, elderly, and other vulnerable populations. Evacuation by sea on ships, boats, and other watercraft is one potential solution to meet the evacuation needs of the United States, yet it has not been sufficiently researched and developed.
Lewin Force-field Analysis has been used to overcome barriers and implement change in numerous fields including business and academia. This paper applies Lewin Force-field Analysis to identify drivers and overcome barriers to enable the development of evacuation by sea capability in the United States. This is accomplished through a review of relevant literature, semi-structured interviews with subject matter experts, and the development of solutions to identified barriers. The results of this work are intended to provide a foundation for future research into domestic evacuation by sea and to aid emergency managers in implementing plans for domestic evacuation by sea.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ostwind, David Samuel, "APPLYING LEWIN FORCE-FIELD ANALYSIS TO ENABLE EVACUATION BY SEA IN THE UNITED STATES" (2025). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 4519.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/4519