Actionable Knowledge and Attitudes of the Police in Evacuating People from Flooding in Makassar City, Indonesia

Floods are among the most frequent natural disasters, often resulting in casualties and significant property losses. Effective evacuation therefore requires actionable knowledge, namely knowledge that can be directly implemented in the field to ensure rescue operations are conducted swiftly, accurately, and safely. This study examines five key aspects of evacuation preparedness: officer readiness, risk awareness, inter-agency coordination, community mobilization, and empathetic communication to reduce psychological trauma. Using a quantitative approach, questionnaires were distributed to 63 police officers assigned to four flood-prone subdistricts. The instrument assessed three dimensions of actionable knowledge (factual, conceptual, procedural) and three dimensions of attitude (cognitive, affective, conative). Findings indicate that officers’ knowledge levels varied, with conceptual knowledge predominating at a high level, while procedural knowledge remained limited. Attitudinal measures were consistently low across all dimensions, suggesting insufficient emotional preparedness and weak commitment to evacuation tasks. The results highlight the urgent need for structured and intensive training to strengthen procedural knowledge, cultivate empathetic attitudes, and enhance disaster management capacity. With adequate technical skills, improved responsiveness, and human-centered communication, flood evacuation can be conducted more effectively, orderly, and safely. These findings serve as a foundation for designing a preparedness training model that enables police officers to act rapidly, accurately, and humanely during flood evacuations.