ABSTRACT
Second, having research-based knowledge of how people and organizations actually behave in disasters will enhance your effectiveness as an emergency manager. As will be discussed in Chapter 7, there are many myths about human response to disaster, all of which assume that society breaks down under extreme stress. In reality, however, rather than having to control a helpless mob of panic-stricken victims, emergency managers must instead devise strategies for coordinating the efforts of the enormous numbers of survivors and volunteers who invariably want to help.
