We are always at risk of experiencing natural disasters. There will always be the possibility of a catastrophe hitting, such as high winds, wildfires, flooding, and earthquakes. It is crucial to have a survival plan in place to ensure everyone’s safety. But many still refuse to prepare even after knowing the dangers of natural disasters, with much evidence showing that knowing what to do during a calamity can increase the chance of survival. Why do many people believe it won’t happen to them? This is only one of the many flawed logic concerning this. What is the theory, the explanation behind these?
Environmental and psychological groups have been exploring why many people don’t prepare for a natural disaster. Studies have been conducted to try new ways to prod them in the right direction. The result is the following prominent correlating factors on disaster preparation avoidance.
“It won’t happen to me!”
Detaching ourselves from the news we see every day can be easy because no one wants to believe they are at risk. This enables us to perceive these terrifying events and make them more acceptable. It is known as nearsightedness or myopia. Researchers discovered that residents of at-risk areas tend to lean strongly towards this. They saw these natural disasters as more likely to affect people in other places even though they live in a more risky areas.
“It wasn’t so bad last time!”
Those who have lived through a disaster tend to forget or minimize the danger and fear they felt at that time. They remember the tragedy but not the emotions during that time. This disconnection led some people to see the event as happening to someone else. We might view them as better, so we slack off and don’t prepare for the next.
“They aren’t as devastating as they seem.”
There are tons of data to show the severity of a natural disaster, but many of us do not read or understand it. This goes somewhere between misremembering and myopia. And since there is a lack of understanding, people often undersell the cost of disaster preparation. The underestimation and the dismissal are deadly.
“If I evacuate, my home will be looted!”
Some people take advantage of disasters, viewing them as an opportunity to loot homes and stores. The combination of devastation and lawless action is why people refuse evacuation for fear of losing their possessions. They will stay back and fend off the criminals, but it can also put them at risk when the disaster hits. But people like this need to realize that looters are more interested in essentials than personal valuables.
“I cannot afford to evacuate.”
This is probably the most miserable of all reasons. Poverty means these people do not have an evacuation plan since it will require money to travel to their distant families or stay at a hotel. These are beyond their means, plus their absence means not being able to work, resulting in financial loss. The lack of financial aid from the government and agencies resulted in many ridings out the storm and pretending nothing was happening. In addition, the cost of disaster insurance is not an option for lower-income families making a recovery even more difficult.
There is much information on preparing for a natural disaster, which is why it is sometimes unthinkable to think that someone will shrug it off. But the things mentioned are some of the main reasons why it happens. The least you can do is to take proper steps to build an emergency kit and gather info on clean-up specialists to better prepare for unforeseen disasters.
source: https://www.disastercompany.com/why-too-many-people-are-not-prepared-for-natural-disasters/
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