Natural hazards impact every corner of the United States. The Southeast contends with hurricanes, the West faces earthquakes, rivers flood the central states, and tornadoes disrupt communities across the country. Adding to these natural events are the growing threats of domestic terrorism, nation-state adversaries, and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
The first instinct when new dangers arise is to activate the collective amygdala of society in hopes that fear, flashing red lights, and scrolling bold chyrons will spur action.
Despite the data, expert analysis, scholarly reports, and historical trends that highlight increasing dangers, hazard awareness alone has not yet led to the level of action necessary to fully prepare for or mitigate these risks.
Hazard awareness alone has not yet led to the level of action necessary to fully prepare for or mitigate risks.
Share on TwitterSeptember: A Critical Reminder of Preparedness
National Preparedness Month, observed every September, reminds Americans of the critical importance of readiness. While awareness is a starting point, it's not sufficient to drive meaningful, proactive action commensurate with the risks presented. Preparing for hurricanes in Florida, earthquakes on the West Coast, or violence in schools requires more than just understanding these threats—it demands deliberate planning, investment, and action along a spectrum of effort. Fear alone often leads to hasty, ineffective responses, which can sometimes be more harmful than doing nothing at all.
Professional emergency managers understand these dynamics but often have to fight for the resources to map the complexities and employ measures along the full range of preparedness phases.
A comprehensive preparedness strategy for individuals, businesses, and communities must encompass a broader spectrum of readiness investments, specifically focused on:
Awareness of the threat.
Acceptance of the risk as credible.
Commitment to act.
Capacity building to prepare, prevent, and respond.
Implementation of effective measures.
Each of these steps deserves deeper investigation and foundational understanding of how people, communities, and institutions perceive risks, make decisions, allocate resources, and sustain long-term resilience in the face of evolving threats.
From Awareness to Acceptance
Most public education on hazards emphasizes raising awareness. However, simply informing people of a threat does not ensure they will take action. Emergency managers often encounter frustration when detailed warnings about flood zones, power outages, and other risks go unheeded. This lack of response can stem from disbelief, distrust, apathy, or the perception that the cost of action outweighs its benefits. Often, people look for data and opinions to counter official information especially if they are skeptical of the source in the first place. Awareness alone does not always translate into individuals seeing the threat as relevant or credible.
To move from awareness to action, individuals must first accept threats as personal, credible, and significant. Awareness efforts should therefore focus not just on the existence of threats but on fostering a deeper sense of acceptance of these risks as real.
From Acceptance to Commitment
Even when people accept that a threat exists, it doesn't automatically lead to a commitment to take action. The goal of preparedness efforts is to motivate individuals to prevent, prepare for, or protect against potential harm. Even in areas prone to recurring hazards such as wildfires or earthquakes, people may acknowledge the risks but still fail to take significant preventive measures.
Bridging the gap between acceptance and commitment is a real challenge. What holds people back? More research is needed to answer this question, as simply increasing threat messaging without addressing underlying barriers is unlikely to be effective. Moreover, the leap from acceptance to commitment can vary depending on the type of threat. Immediate survival threats, such as a wildfire, often trigger a natural fight-or-flight response, while more statistically unlikely risks, like terrorism, require a more conscious decision to act to prepare.
From Commitment to Capability
Once individuals recognize threats, accept their importance, and commit to action, the next hurdle is capability. This involves several components:
Knowledge and Training: Effective action requires expertise. While some knowledge, like home evacuation procedures, is relatively easy to acquire, other skills, such as preventing violence in schools, are much more complex. Tailoring education efforts to specific audiences is crucial as well.
Resources: Action often demands materials, funding, and other resources. Retrofitting infrastructure to withstand earthquakes or acquiring emergency supplies can be financially prohibitive.
Social, Political, and Emotional Capital: Officials committed to preparedness efforts may face resistance from communities, sometimes due to concerns about property rights, local economics, societal divides, or disinterest in long-forgotten hazards.
Successfully bridging commitment to eventual action requires a comprehensive understanding of the educational, material, and social needs for achieving increased capabilities.
From Capability to Action
Finally, with the necessary tools, knowledge, and resources in place, taking action becomes the next logical step. After recognizing the threat, accepting its significance, committing to act, and acquiring capabilities, failure to act would be seen as irresponsible and illogical—whether personally, professionally, or politically. However, even at this stage, it's vital to continuously assess and refine actions to ensure their effectiveness. Preparedness is not a one-time event; it's an ongoing process that requires constant attention.
Beyond Awareness: A Call to Action for Policy and Investment
Moving beyond mere awareness to effective readiness involves additional steps: accepting the risks as credible, committing to address them, and securing the necessary resources for action. These steps are crucial to ensure that individuals, communities, and organizations are truly prepared for both immediate dangers and long-term challenges.
Leaders must prioritize preparedness not only in the face of looming threats but also as part of ongoing efforts to build resilience in their organizations and communities.
Share on TwitterNational Preparedness Month is a timely reminder of the need for action across all phases of readiness. Leaders must prioritize preparedness not only in the face of looming threats but also as part of ongoing efforts to build resilience in their organizations and communities. More research on the intricacies and complexities of preparedness is needed to help guide more effective and holistic programs. By focusing on this comprehensive approach, leaders can better navigate the path from awareness to sustained, effective action.
