‘Down home, it's all the same'

Except for places that are in the throes of civil war, most ordinary rural and urban dwellers live lives punctuated by the risks and opportunities that occasionally interrupt the rhythms of work and rest. Of course, widespread violence does not preclude the added burden of natural hazards and makes coping and response more difficult (Wisner 2012). Also in the United States and elsewhere, although governments may emphasise the primacy of terrorism, quotidian risks prevail: hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, drought and wildfire (Knowles 2011; Perrow 2007).