AUTHOR=Song Ying Ying , Li Chao 

TITLE=The impact of rural loudspeaker systems on typhoon disasters: Guangdong Province of China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Earth Science

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1280132

DOI=10.3389/feart.2023.1280132

ISSN=2296-6463

ABSTRACT=Rural Loudspeaker Systems (RLS) are interrelated with the management of typhoons in Guangdong Province. The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of RLS devices in reducing injuries, fatalities, and house damage caused by typhoons. Additionally, it also examined the role of Typhoon Warning Signals (TWS) in conveying typhoon intensity and their impact on disaster outcomes. The analysis used multiple datasets, including RLS coverage, TWS, and typhoon disaster records. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the impact of RLS coverage on injuries, fatalities, and house damage. The results revealed that an increase in RLS coverage by one percentage point is associated with an 3% reduction in injury events and an 1% reduction in casualty (injury and fatality) events, highlighting the importance of the RLS as a dissemination tool to inform individuals and guide their behavior during typhoon events. However, house damage, a fixed asset, is not significantly influenced by RLS coverage but is more affected by the severity of the typhoon or TWS levels. These findings enhance the understanding of the influence of RLS devices on mitigating typhoon disasters and underscore the crucial need for implementing effective early warning systems in areas prone to vulnerabilities.