DANA in the province of Valencia has undoubtedly surprised many people: for example, while in the car or leaving the garage, but also when leading a “normal” life, such as walking the dog or going to a cafe. shopping centre. Hence the debate about whether the warning system is doing its job and whether it should be started five, six or seven hours earlier. In this utopian scenario, it is possible that these “everyday” scenes would be fewer, but it is equally possible to think that they would not happen because there is no emergency culture.

If I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. It makes sense: Something that hasn’t happened to you isn’t feared, it doesn’t have an alert button in your brain because you haven’t had the first-person physical or visual experience to remember it as “danger.” In reality, it is a phenomenon that is examined in various branches, as we will see below.

Risk perception, habit, and alert management are key factors in understanding why people tend to minimize the severity of an emergency until danger approaches.

The psychology of risk perception. Research shows that people tend to underestimate dangers that are not part of their daily experience. This effect is especially pronounced in regions where natural disasters such as extreme floods, earthquakes or tsunamis rarely occur.

According to research by people such as Cambridge psychologist Paul Slovic, a pioneer in risk perception research, individuals perceive risk based on their familiarity with the event and their previous experiences. In other words, if a situation is rare or rarely experienced in our daily lives, it is not considered that dangerous.

Habituation and normalization effect. Again, in countries without an emergency culture, the habituation phenomenon is also observed, where people become less sensitive to repeated warnings or minor weather events. This results in a normalization of risk, which leads to the assumption that alerts do not require immediate action, especially if they are frequent and of low magnitude.

This is discussed in a study by Mileti and Sorensen (1990) who suggested that people are less responsive to warnings if they have previously encountered warnings that did not result in significant disasters. This creates a false sense of security, making people less likely to respond to a serious alert like DANA.

Optimism bias. Here we are talking about the tendency to believe that bad things happen to others, not to oneself. This bias leads people to minimize personal risks, even in the face of dire warnings such as flood warnings. This “it won’t happen to me” belief is particularly strong in regions where disasters are less frequent or where early warning systems have not historically been effective.

In this context, Weinstein’s (1989) study showed that optimism bias is most seen in disaster scenarios. In flood situations, this bias can lead citizens to underestimate the severity of weather warnings and not take immediate action.

“Trust” the warnings. It is the last of the legs to be treated in risk perception research. The way warnings are given also significantly affects people’s response. And yes, in countries without an emergency culture, warnings can be perceived as impersonal, even distant messages, reducing their effectiveness.

Additionally, the lack of education campaigns on how to respond to alerts results in people not taking them seriously or ignoring them. It is also crucial to trust the authorities issuing the warning: if people do not trust the accuracy of the information, they are unlikely to respond appropriately.

In this sense, Fischhoff’s (1995) study argued that risk communication should be clear, specific and contextual. Warnings that contain vague warnings or technical information that do not translate into concrete actions are often ignored. This is common in alarm situations in Spain; Here people often do not understand how this situation can affect them on a personal level.

Successful strategies. As can be seen, the absence of an “emergency culture” in geographies such as Spain and sociological studies on this subject have a common denominator: lack of “experience”. Therefore, it is interesting to look at countries that have developed this culture more radically and implemented strategies and policies that strengthen their resilience in the face of emergencies. In short, places where a warning actually “wakes up” society.

In fact, in many areas vulnerable to extreme events such as floods or earthquakes, it is recommended to keep a 72-hour “emergency backpack” on hand, which should contain essential items from important documents to non-perishable food in a waterproof bag. , water, flashlight, radio, warm clothes, first aid kit or whistle. Additionally, if there are children or elderly people, it is recommended to adapt the backpack to their specific needs.

But of course there is much more.

Japan example. The country is one of the countries best known for its advanced culture of disaster prevention and management, as a result of its frequent exposure to earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons. Disaster prevention education is integrated from primary education through regular drills and special training programs. In addition, the country has earthquake-resistant infrastructure and highly developed early warning systems.

Japan, for example, has one of the strictest building codes in the world. New buildings must comply with seismic construction standards, which include technologies such as vibration dampers and suspension systems, and the Met Office generally manages an early warning system that gives warning seconds before an earthquake, for example, using a distributed network of sensors. country.

United States case. There, disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 exposed weaknesses in natural disaster preparedness and led to significant changes in emergency policies. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has been instrumental in these changes with programs like “Ready” that educates families on how to prepare for emergencies. It also organizes preparedness campaigns against hurricanes, forest fires and earthquakes and provides educational resources accessible on the web.

Not only this. FEMA also manages the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), which send emergency notifications to mobile devices, and frequently conducts national exercises such as the annual California Earthquake Preparedness Exercise, “The Great California ShakeOut.” Millions of participants to strengthen this culture of preparation.

And the Chilean case. Since the 1960 Valdivia earthquake (magnitude 9.5), the country has reviewed and strengthened construction legislation to increase the durability of buildings. Chilean regulations are currently among the most advanced in South America in terms of seismic resilience. In addition, the National Emergency Office (ONEMI) coordinates disaster preparedness and response and conducts awareness campaigns and exercises such as the “Grand National Exercise” in which schools and companies are involved in annual simulations.

In this context, the programs also include community education, where educational programs are developed for vulnerable communities and provide them with training on how to respond in the event of an earthquake and tsunami. ONEMI is also distributing emergency kits to families in high-risk areas.

Vienna example. We told about the last case yesterday. There is no other city as prepared for DANA as the European city, thanks to its defense system designed to withstand the “5,000-year flood”. This system was built following severe historic floods and consists mainly of the Danube Island and the New Danube Canal, structures created in the 1970s that direct water and protect the city.

As a matter of fact, while Vienna survived the recent heavy rains in Europe without any significant damage, other cities were seriously affected. The city conducts regular drills and uses a highly accurate forecasting system to warn and protect citizens, as well as its infrastructure. In this case, sustained investment and advanced planning have transformed the city into a model of flood resilience and an example to follow.

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