ABSTRACT
A key question to survival during a disaster is who is the best prepared. This requires someone to initiate an action. Government officials want us to belief in disaster management organizations, but disaster management organizations are not what they seem. Although they try to satisfy us and prepare us for disasters, the goals are not those of its client-stakeholders. In practical terms, it means that when emergencies and disasters occur, a large part of our behavioral repertoire falls back on traditional forms of disaster behavior. As I have shown such behavior depends on howwe estimate the risks of a disaster occurring. It also rests on the help and care we give to our fellow human beings during a crisis and disaster. Despite what most disaster managers ideally do in their offices, seeking administrative solutions that will guide our behavior, we rarely sit down to systematically calculate a risk of the dangers; we do something much more natural and sensible-we reconnect with our families, friends, and neighbors. It is from them that we draw out both the information and emotional support to help survive. The recent picture drawn from the evacuation of the Twin Towers in New York after radical Islamic terrorists flew suicide planes into them showed the true character of people who are trapped in life-threatening situations: they help each other. True, we also use ‘‘official’’ sources of information, but more likely as a backup and
supplemental source to survive. It is the social world we are enmeshed in that provides guidance and succor during times of trouble. A large part of that world revolves around our families. To understand how families are involved and how they affect our disaster behaviors, it is critical that we first understand the role that gatekeepers play in this process.
