CEHC Researchers Use Virtual Reality to Improve Disaster Preparedness for Older Adults

By Mike Nolan

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 26, 2024) — When disaster strikes, consequences tend to be harder on older adults than younger groups.

For example, when Hurricane Sandy struck New York City in 2012, nearly half of the fatalities were among people age 65 or older. In 2005, although people age 75 or older made up about 6 percent of the population in the city of New Orleans, they accounted for 50 percent of those who died as a result of Hurricane Katrina. 

DeeDee Bennett Gayle, an associate professor at the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC), is leading new research focusing on using virtual reality (VR) to reduce disaster vulnerabilities for older individuals and others who are disproportionately affected.

The project launched in September and has received $549,943 in support from the National Science Foundation.

“We are aiming to capitalize on advances in VR training by applying it to improving preparedness, risk perception and protective action decision-making of individuals,” said Bennett Gayle, the chair of CEHC’s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. 

“Our project will directly involve older adults and then expand to other populations of heightened vulnerability during disasters. It fits right in line with my research agenda to explore the ways we leverage emerging tech and increase resilience among our most marginalized populations.”

Emergency Management in Virtual Reality

Through the project, the research team, which also includes Salimah LaForce of Georgia Tech, Mwarumba Mwavita of Minnesota State and Xiaojun (Jenny) Yuan, an associate professor at CEHC, will expose participants from the general public to disaster environments using Meta Quest VR headsets, which offer immersive experiences in 3D spaces. 

During the simulations, the researchers will observe the participants to gain insight into their decision-making process across various hazards, along with how they use advanced technologies. 

“VR is being used as a training mechanism typically for first responders, allied health and related emergency management practitioners. There are very few using VR for the public as it relates to disasters, especially in the U.S.,” Bennett Gayle said. “We see this as a unique opportunity to gamify certain aspects of disaster management training to protect vulnerable populations.” 

“Our project, conducted by an interdisciplinary research team, contributes to the use of experimental design in disaster research and information science,” added Yuan, who specializes in human-computer interaction and information behavior. “Our goal is to extend decision-making theories to new contexts and validate their applicability to older adults.”

The simulations will be conducted through CEHC’s Extreme Events, Social Equity and Technology (ESET) lab, with support from tech start-up Superluminal, a hardware and software development company based in Albany.

Undergraduates at CEHC and local high schoolers in the Rise High program will also help with creating the VR environments and collecting observational data. 

“This is a unique opportunity to incorporate students and connect them with our industry partner Superluminal,” Bennett Gayle said. “They will learn how to create and refine the VR environments that will be used for the project so that we can collect necessary data and test our assumptions.” 

Assessing Social Equity in Disasters 

Bennett Gayle’s research broadly examines the use of advanced technologies, including virtual and augmented reality, for emergency management and by vulnerable populations, in particular older adults, people with disabilities, as well as racial and ethnic minorities. Recently, her studies have also focused on workforce development and participation in disaster management fields.

In 2023, she was featured as a witness at a hearing hosted by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging that focused on the critical need to include older adults and people with disabilities in disaster planning.

Her research team is actively recruiting participants and plans to conduct simulations over the next two years. Those interested in participating are encouraged to email: [email protected]