The Human Side of Disaster

by Thomas E. Drabek

When disaster strikes, people react, and usually, fear levels rise. Temporarily, however, one motivation supersedes all 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.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published August 26, 2009

Reviews

[Solomon Weisgerber · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few textbooks I actually read all the way through! I read this for my emergency management courses and it does a great job of showing the impact disasters have on individuals and families, rather than buildings and communities as a whole.

[Breanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being assigned as a textbook, I had that dreading feeling that came with reading assignments in graduate school. However, upon reading the first assigned chapter (ch.7), I had to start from the first page. Drabek made this book intriguing, information packed, and tough to put down.