ABSTRACT Disaster preparedness is essential for managing the disruptions caused by weather‐related disasters, which are intensifying every year. The notion of preparedness has been studied in individual and collective terms, helping understand what factors influence people's level of preparedness. This paper utilizes the READINESS framework which incorporates preparedness and resilience to develop a crisis readiness mindset pertaining to the mental state of being willing to respond to a crisis. Moreover, the framework is applied to analyze Hong Kong's disaster preparedness for extreme heat events (EHEs). EHEs are considered a ‘silent killer’ according to the World Meteorological Organization as they claim lives without having an instantaneous noticeable impact. This manuscript examines how Hong Kong's disaster preparedness efforts for extreme heat events could be enhanced for the city to be READY. Utilizing subaltern theories, the paper focuses on residents of sub‐divided flats who are most prone to experiencing health‐related issues due to prolonged heat. The analysis emphasizes the importance of including the voices of socially vulnerable populations when designing disaster preparedness communicative efforts on both individual and community levels. By doing so, the paper expands the application of the READINESS framework to disaster management and emphasizes the need to pay special attention to marginalized communities.
Elina R. Tachkova (Sun,) studied this question.