The Human Side of Disaster » (1st Edition)

When disaster strikes, people react, and usually, fear levels rise. Temporarily, however, one motivation supersedes all others: survival of self and those nearby, especially loved ones. Based on the author’s years of research and teaching experience, The Human Side of Disaster scientifically evaluates human responses in the face of disasters. This examination informs emergency managers and response teams and teaches them how to anticipate human behaviors in-crisis.

The book begins with four scenarios based on interviews and real events that introduce the human side of disaster. The stories examine how attention to, or lack of, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation affect outcomes. Each subsequent chapter refers back to the original Experiences chapter and provides insights that can be applied not only to events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods, but also to man-made threats including industrial accidents and acts of terrorism. The author explores how people’s responses can be predicted, the long term effects of disaster on the psyche, and the key issues involved in recovery.

A balanced interpretation of research, results, and experience, the book demonstrates how traditional warning methods and high-tech systems can work together to improve communications, evacuations, and reconstruction efforts. It highlights the role of the human element in any disaster situation and demonstrates how to use that element as part of a planned disaster response.

Foreword William A. Anderson Anderson, William A.

1 Experiences 1

The Taxi 2

The Earring 5

The Honeymoon 8

The Ceiling 12

The Insights 17

2 The Problem and Approach 19

The Danger around You Is Increasing 20

The Many Faces of Disaster 27

The Approach 37

The Insights 40

3 Hear That Siren? 41

Who Panics and Why 43

Neutralizing Threat Information 46

Doing It Right 48

But Not Everyone Responds the Same 54

The Insights 60

4 It Can't Be Done 63

That Lady Named Carla 64

A Disaster Subculture? 66

The Mythology of Car Wrecks 68

"Resisters? We'll Arrest Them!" 69

Confirmation: A Likely Action 75

Families Are the Units 76

The Insights 79

5 Shall We Leave? 81

Pathways to Evacuation 81

Where Do They Go? 87

"We Wanna Go Home" 91

Evacuation Facilitators 93

An Aside: Crisis Relocation Planning and Homeland Security Advisory System 99

The Insights 104

6 Why Me? 107

Victim Responses 108

The Disaster Syndrome: Another Myth Exploded 109

Heroes: They Are for Real 112

Helpers: How Many Are There? 116

"Where Is My Daughter?" 121

But There Are Constraints 122

The Insights 126

7 Volunteers? You Bet! 129

The Flood Breakers 129

Are Volunteers Like Yachts! 133

The Utopian Mood 134

Unveiling the Many Forms of Volunteerism 137

The Insights 143

8 Organized Disorganization 145

Raining in Indianapolis 146

"But We Deal with Emergencies Daily" 149

Sorting Out Organizational Responders 152

Is Communication the Problem? 154

Social Map: Lake Pomona Communication Structure 158

Cooperation Is Not Enough 162

The Insights 168

9 Life in a Fishbowl 169

The Bitch Phase 169

Looting Fears 171

BadDreams 176

Short-Term Oscillations 180

Windows of Opportunity 183

"When Can We Go Home?" 184

The Insights 186

10 What about My Psyche? 189

An Atypical Example 190

Modal Patterns 191

Patterned Variations 193

Kinfolk and Friends 198

"This Is My Mother" 200

The Insights 203

11 What Must Be Done? 205

Variable Perceptions of Risk 206

Disasters Are Nonroutine Social Problems 211

Professionalism in Emergency Management 214

Strategies for Maintaining Organizational Integrity 225

Disaster Response Coordination Strategies 229

Concluding Principles 234

Notes 237

Suggested Readings 287

Index 293