Preparing For the Inevitable: Environmental Risk Perceptions and Disaster Preparedness (original) (raw)
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Human behavior in emergency management endeavours is influenced by risk perception, risk attitude, risk communication, and risk management facets. What is the relevance of these socio-psychological processes? Risk perception refers to people's judgments and evaluations of hazards they (or their facilities, or environments) are or might be exposed to. Such perceptions steer decisions about the acceptability of risks and are a core influence on behaviors before, during and after a disaster. People's risk appraisals are a complex result of hazard features and personal philosophies. Risk attitudes are people's intentions to evaluate a risk situation in a favorable or unfavorable way and to act accordingly. The underlying traits are risk propensity and risk aversion, i.e. cautiousness. High risk propensity can induce hazards; on the other hand, risk management activities may require some risk propensity. However, risk attitudes are neither necessarily stable, nor homogeneous across hazard types. Risk communication is a social process by which people become informed about hazards, are influenced towards behavioral change and can participate in decision-making about risk issues in an informed manner. Such activities are part of almost all emergency management efforts. For effective risk communication, a sound understanding of risk perceptions and attitudes is indispensable. Risk management are manifold procedures for reducing risks (either the hazard itself or its consequences) to a level deemed tolerable by society; this includes monitoring, control and public communication. For people exposed to a hazard (residents, employees, commuters, consumers etc), their preparedness is the critical goal, regarding both the occurrence or the impacts of an accident/disaster. This cannot be achieved without skilful risk communication. In sum, successfully preparing populations for dealing with emergency situations requires that technological and administrative features of emergency management are enriched by socio-psychological considerations and measures. Given the reach of hazards and the diversity of exposed populations, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary research is essential.
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