ABSTRACT
Disaster-management systems have not been very successful. A large part of the problem stems from the tendency for a community’s preparedness for the next disaster to decline over time after the previous event; the tendency for newcomers to deny the problem; and the likelihood that the effectiveness of the disaster-management system will deteriorate quite rapidly because of the rapid turnover of key staff in the various agencies making up the disaster-management system.
There are powerful psychological barriers which make it difficult to enforce proper maintenance of disaster-management systems. These stem from the fact that we need to feel in control of our lives, whereas warnings will often be taken as threats to our sense of control.
For a disaster-management system to be sustainable, therefore, it should be designed not only to convey the message to the members of the disaster-prone community that they are in control, but also that the system is actually under their control.
