Citizen Response to Disasters: a Survey of Literature and Some Practical Implications1

It is most likely that the modern citizen responds to disasters in the same fashion as his ancestor. Contrary to widespread belief, citizens do not panic in disaster situations. In fact, research into different aspects of citizen response shows that most citizens act in a rather rational way. Indeed, citizens often prove to be the most effective kind of emergency personnel. Disaster evaluations invariably show that most lives are actually saved by the ‘average ’ citizen. On the other hand, it seems little can be done to improve citizen preparedness. A modern western citizen is not likely to invest time or money in preparing for ‘acceptable ’ risks. The above results stem for the greater part from research already conducted as long ago as the nineteen-eighties. Limitations and implications however seem as yet unclear. One important limitation is the cultural bias in most studies. One important implication is that in western countries government should step in to improve citizen response by preparing to facilitate it in times of disaster