This article discuses the common presumption about public panic in disasters, suggesting instead that panic is rarely observed, or that rational behaviour can be misinterpreted as panic. The belief that panic will occur may lead to potentially damaging decisions such as withholding of information by the authorities. Panic is likely to be fuelled to a … Read more
This article discusses the factors that impact upon evacuation behaviour. Social issues are crucial to this topic as individuals will want to coordinate with others, in particular their families before acting. Some individuals may also resist evacuation orders, whereas others may evacuate from unaffected areas (termed an ‘evacuation shadow’). The use of reception centres is … Read more
This article discusses the crucial issue of communicating information to the public. Communication is a key influence on the psychological responses of the public to a disaster incident. The public require information that is clear, trusted and timely; rumours will fill an information vacuum. The tensions between the need to communicate information to the public … Read more
This article discusses the tendency of non-exposed individuals to seek medical care following a chemical or biological disaster. Although the medical services need to identify those who need immediate treatment, those presenting with ‘psychogenic illness’ should not be dismissed. They may not be well in psychological terms and require empathy for their legitimate concerns. It … Read more
This article discusses the immediate social response to a disaster incident by the affected community. The literature suggests that victims respond in an active rather than passive manner following a disaster incident and that altruism and volunteer behaviour is generally found, which results in increased social cohesion. See also this article on The Public as … Read more
This article discusses the longer term impact that an incident may have on the affected community, the mechanisms by which the community recovers, and factors affecting successful recovery. The literature suggests that in contrast to the immediate social response, the long term community response to disaster may be more negative, characterised by community conflicts, stigmatisation of … Read more
First Responders comprise not only officials and professionals from the various emergency services, disaster agencies, local authority and health services, but also the general public (Clark, 2003). In fact some reports suggest that in many disasters, the public makes up a numerically larger proportion of first responders, assisting with rescue work and elementary disaster relief … Read more
This article addresses the factors that affect the public response to a warning message and the processes that individuals are likely to go through before responding. These factors include obtaining confirmation of the warning from alternative sources; contacting friends and family; individual recipient characteristics; and features of the message itself (e.g. clarity, consistency). Individuals are … Read more
