Introduction to Emotional Disaster Preparedness
A Missing Component in Emergency Preparedness?
Aug 24, 2008
A recent review of the literature shows that about 97% of the emphasis in disaster psychology focuses on post-incident assessment, intervention and follow-up. This is important work, and a great contribution to the fields of both psychology and disaster response.
If one is not in a period of active disaster or its direct aftermath, however, one can then be in the midst of preparedness activities. For those for whom preparedness is the name of the game at the moment, they don't have to wait for a disaster to apply sound disaster psychology. Right now, preparedness work could be extending work into "Emotional Disaster Preparedness".
The Real Reason People Don't Prepare for Emergencies
After all: people fail to prepare for disasters not because they don't know how many cans of tuna fish they should store or what type of flashlight is best to have on hand. Yes, practical considerations are real, but they are likely not the main stumbling block for the general public: mostly, people don't prepare for emergencies for emotional reasons.
Our culture is just plain resistant to dealing with the eventuality that everyone will face an emergency sometime, be it personal, local, regional, nation, or world-wide. On the one hand, the prevalence of emergencies is a fairly widely accepted. Yet on the other, there is nothing in the literature that nonetheless systematically seeks to address this situation, and create a better foundation of emotional preparedness for disasters.
This is not entirely surprising, since in our culture we don't generally fix things until they're broken. This is why prevention is still so cutting edge -- or almost entirely absent -- in many aspects of the helping professions. The same seems to be true of disaster psychology.
Yet the literature on psychological resilience is clear: the skills and qualities that predict better recovery from trauma can be cultivated. While natural resiliency varies from person-to-person, many emotional recovery skills and tools can be both taught and learned effectively. If ever there was new hope for the future survivors of disasters, then surely this news would be it!
Ever More Important in a Post 9/11 World
This is ever more important today because we have heard so much about 9/11 Post Traumatic Stress. Often, this comes from what may be unreliable media sources that focus on those experiencing the worst reactions, and which fail to report those who are coping well. Therefore, the public is more than ever anticipating that emergencies are eternally emotionally crushing; base-line anxiety is high.
Yet at the same time, people seemed numbed to messages about emergency preparedness. Commonly, there are so many images of (both real and pretend) disasters on television, in the movies, newspapers and magazines that many become desensitized emotionally. Local alerts can get lost in all the background noise of this type of media over-stimulation.
It's important to diffuse this situation with some solid psychological tools. Otherwise, Sisyphus will be forever pushing that rock uphill, trying to coach people into better preparedness, yet being eternally blocked by the emotionally-drive obstacles in the way.
To make concrete strides in this area, Parts 2 and 3 following will be “The Eight Foundational Activities of Emotional Disaster Preparedness.” As a group, they focus on building resilience, information, and empowerment.
Related Links
Emotional Disaster Preparedness: Four Foundational Activities for Empowerment in Disasters (Part 2 of this 3-Part Series)
Emotional Disaster Preparedness: Four More Foundational Activities for Empowerment in Disasters (Part 3 of this 3-Part Series)
Understanding Adjustment Psychology: Revealing Why Any Change – Happy or Sad – Can Be Stressful
CERT Training - "Disaster Psychology" (YouTube: 43 minutes)
Handbook of International Disaster Psychology: Four Volumes, edited by Gilbert Reyes and Gerard A. Jacobs (2005)
