Perception on Emergency Preparedness Among Religious Organizations in Nigerian City: a Cross-Sectional Study

Emergency preparedness requires actions from both institutions and individuals. Like a weak link in a chain, individual preparedness, behaviors, and predisposition to play an essential role in emergencies determine the level of effectiveness of such preparedness. This study aimed to assess the attitude, behavior, and knowledge of religious organizations (congregations) on emergency preparedness. The study was conducted using a cross-sectional research design, and primary data was collected with a questionnaire which was analyzed through descriptive statistics. Four hundred respondents (congregants) were sampled across the zonal headquarters of 5 major churches within the Port Harcourt metropolis. The result revealed that the significant source of information about emergency preparedness was television (38.25%), and churches are not prepared for an emergency (56.0%).Furthermore, most respondents never experienced any emergency (67.75%); however, perceived that churches are doing what they can to prevent emergency events around them (72.25%). The respondents indicated adequate knowledge about emergencies (66.5%) and perceived the collapse of a church building (26.75%) as the most common emergency associated with churches due to uncontrolled crowds (40.25%). The respondents (30.25%) revealed that discussing possible emergencies in the church is the most effective measure of emergency preparedness. In conclusion, individual emergency preparedness can be improved through changing attitudes and knowledge, which can be developed through continuous dissemination of information and engaging congregants in disaster drills and exercise to improve their experience.