Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
earthquakes or landslides, individuals have only a
few seconds to react. Personal decisions must be delib-
erately made against a background of seemingly
organized flight by tens or hundreds of people. The
decision to 'buck the trend' becomes mentally more
difficult and, in certain cases, physically impossible. As
an expert, I know that standing in the open during a
lightning storm is dangerous. Yet I have stood
immobile watching a junior soccer match under such
circumstances, too shy to march onto the field and
order everyone off because of an imminent threat.
Most individuals, be they sane or not, demonstrate
remarkable composure at the threat of a nature hazard.
Fifty-four per cent were involved in either temporary or
permanent measures. Temporary measures involved
such preventative tasks as clearing gutters of leaves, and
cutting away undergrowth around buildings. Permanent
measures involved structural changes to the house,
landscape modifications, or the construction of a
sprinkler system. These remedies required little main-
tenance, but were more expensive. There was no
socio-economic relationship between the number
and types of measures used. However, people who
rented their accommodation tended to perform fewer
measures. About 60 per cent of people carrying out
preparations did so after seeking advice from neighbors,
friends, or relatives. Only 9 per cent obtained informa-
tion from public bodies and 11 per cent from the
Country Fire Brigade. Drabek (1986) also found a
similar trend for many other hazards worldwide.
Obviously, people trust neighbors or relatives more for
advice than they trust government bodies with exper-
tise. Significantly, people who had neighbors who had
experienced bushfires, or people who themselves were
affected in the previous few years by fires, took greater
precautions. In Australia, people's enthusiasm for
implementing preventative measures against bushfires
may wane with the memory of the last fire. As the threat
increases, large segments of the community may be
unprepared for bushfires. Overcoming this may require
an annual advertising program, making people aware
of the continuing threat. A similar pattern has been
found in the United States with people's degree of
preparedness to cyclones.
During any tragedy, victims usually attempt to save
their home. If there is little hope that the house can be
saved, then personal belongings or mementos such as
photographs, trophies, or presents are rescued first.
If there is time, then more expensive, transportable
property is saved. Reaction to pets can also be included
in this behavior. Sometimes considerable risk can be
expended with people dying in attempts to save pets
or livestock. For example, floods in Australia have
seen farmers sheltering dairy herds in their house.
Evacuation of 40 000 families in Mississauga, Ontario,
Canada, following a gas leak in 1979, also involved
30 000 pets. If preparation for an imminent hazard can
be completely carried out, and the victim perceives
that such preparation has enhanced their chance of
survival, or preserved personal property, the shock
of the event is lessened and recovery after the event
is more successful.
Prep
aredness, if warned
In many of the above cases, people who stay put and
do not prepare for disaster are the exception. For
example, in the United States, millions of people have
evacuated from the path of a hurricane in a timely and
orderly fashion. The threat of personal loss of life, or
loss of close family, outweighs the risk of staying. For
most inhabitants of cyclone-threatened areas in Aus-
tralia, the approach of the cyclone means tying down
loose objects in the home and yard, stocking three
days' supply of food and water, and taping windows.
Such precautions are taken seriously and initiated
individually.
Preparation for imminent disaster by individuals
centers around four areas: self, family, property, and
community - in that order. Organizing can range
from packing one's clothes and toothbrush to mental
preparation. The latter usually includes some sort of
catharsis such as conveying apprehension or fear to
oneself, family or friends, or taking a sedative or alco-
holic drink. In some cases, it may take the form of
prayer for divine aid or intervention. Mental prepara-
tion appears to be a first priority in meeting any hazard.
For those with immediate family, the second priority
is ensuring their safety, preparedness, and mental
stability. Attempts may be made to check the safety
of close family living in the same threatened area, or
communicating assurances of safety to distant relatives.
Next, there is a direct concern for property. Usually,
this involves the immediate home either well before, or
immediately preceding, any disaster. For example,
McKay (1983) found following the 1983 Ash
Wednesday fires that the degree of preparation for
bushfires in the Adelaide Hills varied throughout the
area. Fewer than 20 per cent of people did nothing.
