In trying to impart essential knowledge to you about disasters, I run into several challenges. First, it seems somewhat presumptuous to assume the posture of an educator on this topic. There is perhaps no major human endeavor for which the knowledge gap between laypersons and experts is as small as it is for disasters. Both ordinary citizens and expert planners know, with almost indelible accuracy, the most basic, abstract features of disasters – they are compressed in time and typically also in space, they present acute dangers to individuals and communities, and they involve significant damage to social structures. The two groups also share similar and often mistaken impressions about human behavior in disasters and how disasters ought to be managed. Although it is true that expert planners typically have more tidbits of information about disasters, and a broader knowledge of existing disaster resources, they also tend to cling more tightly to erroneous beliefs (which, unfortunately, they possess in greater quantities). Although there is much detailed knowledge about disasters, especially in the realm of disaster sociology, neither disaster planners nor ordinary citizens typically are acquainted with much of it. In trying to formulate guidance for you, the general public, I am acutely aware that frequently you are the ones who shine brightly in disaster responses, whereas the so-called experts flounder in a labyrinth of rigid, maladaptive protocols.

Second, there is no distinct body of relevant information that will apply equally to all of you.