I shared my final week’s column with the HSU Geosciences capstone class they usually got here up with 4 glorious questions. The questions had one factor in widespread — they couldn’t be answered solely utilizing data from science.
My educational coaching was hardcore math and science. Most of my courses centered on the physics of earthquakes and the stable earth. We barely touched on societal problems with security and impacts, and human habits was by no means talked about. It wasn’t till the 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquake that I grew to become conscious of the nice physique of labor that geographers, sociologists, psychologists, economists and others exterior of the “exhausting sciences” fields have made to clarify why individuals do what they do when threatened and why resilience have to be an interdisciplinary effort.
After the 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquakes, I acquired funding to compile the primary Shaky Floor preparedness journal. I had by no means written something like that earlier than and located a 1990 publication “The Subsequent Large Earthquake within the Bay Space Might Come Sooner Than You Suppose” to make use of as a mannequin. I additionally realized {that a} sociologist, Dr. Dennis Mileti, had studied the effectiveness of the journal and what motivates individuals to take preparedness actions. I referred to as him and he was gracious sufficient to offer me a half hour intensive introduction to the psychology of preparedness motivation and references to a number of papers. I’ve by no means seen disasters in the identical manner once more.
I believe Dr. Mileti would have appreciated the questions the capstone college students requested:
• How do you get individuals to arrange for one thing that’s not presently affecting them?
• How do you phrase harmful conditions with out making individuals fearful?
• Can you employ only one technique of notification and knowledge earlier than and through a catastrophe?
• How are you aware if a supply of data is dependable and get individuals to concentrate to it?
It’s actually exhausting to get individuals to take motion about threats they don’t understand as quick. That is notably true of earthquakes and tsunamis. In contrast to hurricanes, wildland fires and winter storms, there isn’t any season to earthquakes and plenty of a long time usually cross between damaging occasions. Mileti discovered a surprisingly easy issue that predicted who took preparedness actions and who didn’t. The individuals who took motion weren’t these residing closest to a fault zone or who had skilled a harmful earthquake. They had been the individuals who talked about hazards at residence or within the work place. The important first step for getting individuals to arrange is to speak concerning the risk.
California has expended sources and time into figuring out what motivates individuals to arrange. The California Earthquake Authority and the Workplace of Emergency Companies joined forces a decade in the past to review this query. They did surveys and held focus teams and located there have been three issues that all the time rose to the highest — by taking motion I can survive, by taking motion I’ve some management over the state of affairs, and by taking motion I acquire peace of thoughts understanding I’ve achieved every part I might for the protection of my family members.
In research after research, there may be one factor that doesn’t promote preparedness actions — FEAR. Concern does simply the alternative. Individuals could also be drawn to horror movies and graphic information tales, however research after research present it’s absolute loser on the subject of selling motion. If you happen to affiliate securing bookshelves or practising an evacuation route with one thing scary you’ve seen or learn, you definitely received’t expend the power doing so.
Avoiding concern as a tactic doesn’t imply hiding or omitting risk data. It means presenting it clearly in a manner that everybody can perceive and emphasizing all of the issues you are able to do to scale back the risk and shield your self and your family members. Speaking about what you are able to do, even to youngsters, will make a doubtlessly scary state of affairs a lot much less scary.
There may be by no means one technique for notifying individuals {that a} hazardous state of affairs exists. In instances of catastrophe, some or all of our communication networks similar to radio, phone, and web may not work. Whereas know-how has expanded communication strategies similar to Wi-fi Emergency Alert (WEA) techniques, there isn’t any assure that anyone system is resilient or can present correct data shortly sufficient for a specific state of affairs. And any notification is dependent upon individuals understanding the message and what they should do — a course of that ought to begin years earlier than any actual occasion.
There may be additionally nobody technique to make individuals conscious or disseminate data. Participatory occasions like ShakeOut and evacuation drills have the benefit of creating muscle reminiscence. However workshops, media studies and PSAs, films and podcasts can all be an necessary a part of the preparedness toolbox. I’m emphasizing toolbox as a result of there isn’t any one good manner of connecting to individuals. We be taught in numerous methods and, for many of us, want to listen to one thing from a number of sources in an effort to imagine it.
Consistency in messaging whether or not earlier than or throughout a catastrophe is important. That was the explanation we based the Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group 24 years in the past — we wanted to develop constant and complete messaging to cope with our earthquake and tsunami risk. That additionally doesn’t imply messaging and knowledge doesn’t change over time. Each occasion is a chance to check what we’ve achieved and assess what labored and what wants enchancment. The brand new tsunami maps launched subsequent month are an instance. I respect the intelligence of our neighborhood. If we make it clear that what we’re doing is predicated on the very best presently obtainable data, and we’ll proceed to replace as we be taught extra.
A simple manner so that you can kick begin your preparedness effort is to join ShakeOut 2020 at https://www.shakeout.org/. Extra subsequent week with my very own story of air high quality and getting details about fires.
