Читать книгу Disaster Response and Recovery - David A. McEntire - Страница 112

Public Response to the Loma Prieta Earthquake

On October 17, 1989, a massive earthquake shook the cities of Santa Cruz and San Francisco. The earthquake registered 7.1 on the Richter scale. Research by O’Brien and Mileti (1992) revealed that roughly 65% of citizens in these communities took part in disaster response activities. Nearly 200,000 people donated water and food to victims. 71,000 people supported the victims’ emotional needs. Another 31,500 took part in search and rescue operations. Citizens also cared for the wounded, cleared debris, and sheltered those in need. The major lesson from this disaster is that people living in affected or nearby locations are resources that can and will be utilized to address urgent disaster needs.

Since the time of Prince’s dissertation, emergent groups and the behavior they exhibit have been studied extensively (Rodriguez, Trainor and Quarantelli 2006; Quarantelli 1996). Their unique features and activities have been characterized in a variety of ways (see Drabek and McEntire, 2003, p. 98):

 Therapeutic community. Citizens come together to promote healing and rehabilitation.

 Synthetic community. People working together to resolve major challenges.

 Mass assault. A massive response that can sometimes be overwhelming.

 Altruistic community. Selfless acts to help and assist others.

 Utopian community. Harmonious relations that may exist for a short time right after a disaster.

 Emergence. The appearance of new organizations in time of crisis.

 Emergent behavior. The pursuit of tasks that are new and unfamiliar.

Research also reveals that emergent groups are most likely to appear when there have been insufficient steps for preparedness, when disasters are especially severe, when there is a perception of dire need, and when people place blame for what has happened. Culture, socioeconomic status, and other factors may also determine the formation and purpose of groups. Such determinants may include religion, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Once formed, emergent groups may become involved in search and rescue operations, damage assessment, shelter provision, emotional support for victims and other relief activities. As a result, these spontaneous organizations are beneficial for disaster response and recovery. They are typically present at the scene, even before most EMTs, police officers and fire fighters. Emergent groups may organize themselves quickly (and later, more formally) to address the needs made evident by disaster. Emergent groups possess diverse skills and have a deep commitment to the cause. They also provide an impressive number of volunteers that can be harnessed in times of disaster.

These groups are not without potential drawbacks, however. The populace may have no formal disaster training. They may unintentionally injure those victims they are trying to help (e.g., by making mistakes when providing basic first aid). Emergent groups may also get in the way of professional responders as they go about their duties. Emergent responders may even create unique challenges for emergency managers. For example, after Hurricane Andrew, there were so many donations in terms of food and supplies that it was difficult for organizations to distribute the aid efficiently. Successful response and recovery operations require the harnessing of emergent groups while simultaneously minimizing any potential negative impact.