Psychological aspects of disasters and natural calamities : Romanian disasters in 2005 and 2006
Bordeianu, Anca-Magdalena
On the background of increasingly frequent abnormal and violent natural phenomena occurring at global level, it is imperative to envisage the most effective means of preventing and mitigating natural hazards. Such efforts of dealing with natural calamities ought to take into consideration both economic and social-psychological aspects. Natural disasters generally imply: − disruption of everyday life by unplanned physical events − they cause significant damage to people and the environment − their occurrence is sudden, unexpected and disruptive − something can be done to mitigate the effects prior or following their occurrence (Kreps, 1984). Research in the newly emerging field of natural disasters has shown that, when confronted with lifethreatening events, people instinctively act in a salutary way. This instinctive behavior would be significantly more beneficial if corroborated with prevention and management projects. The problem is that people focus on immediate problems and generally disregard potential problems lurking in the background such as flood or land sliding. The great benefit we have in the aftermath of natural disasters is that they become significantly more salient. This enhanced salience means that people are more prone to get informed, understand, initiate and sustain preventive projects. Some of the types of early intervention in natural hazards are: crisis intervention, psycho-education and psychological.
Event: XXIII International FIG Congress : Shaping the change
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