One of my favorite bits of information is this...
The human brain is not wired to react in times of disasters.
In a plane crash, most victims are found still seated and strapped in their seats. Survivors are staring open-mouthed and clueless. Nobody will move to the exit unless someone shouts, "This way!"
Observing the events of Typhoon Ondoy, I can’t help but wonder how human nature would have helped or doomed me.
QUANDARY. We live in Parañaque - a mountainous area. Floods are not commonplace. We even have water shortage problems! But even this highland was not spared. Friends in a neighboring subdivision had their cars completely submerged. Creeks overflowed. A lot of houses were flooded.
For these flood newbies, evacuation would have never crossed their mind. After all, one would assume that the flood waters would soon subside.
In Marikina where floods are ordinary, why were many people trapped on the roof of their homes? Didn’t they even consider evacuating? What about those living in the posh villages? These families spent riches fortifying their homes. Human naivety (or pride?) would have led them to assume that their second floors, third floors or attics would protect them from the flood.
DELIBERATION. So if flood started pouring into our home last Saturday, this is what a newbie like me would have done…
• Wow, this is the first time flood has entered our house! Cool! I’ll take pictures and probably post them online.
• Call or text my housemates/relatives to say that our house is being flooded.
• Move what we can to a higher place.
• Take more pictures.
• Wait for the flood to subside.
But then again, I have no idea the waters are rising fast! Some victims said the water rose to 2-storeys high in just an hour. An hour? Come to think of it, I would have been doomed.
I heard government officials ranting that the residents did not evacuate. But no one is really to blame. We’re all but humans and again…The human brain is not wired to react in times of disasters.
EYE-OPENER. Without being overly paranoid, how can we protect ourselves next time? Think about this...The human brain is programmable. They say to prepare yourself for a plane crash, you should read all the safety instructions, listen to the demonstration and make a mental note of all the exits. Everywhere we go, huge exit signs are being installed for us to make a mental picture of them. This will be useful information when disaster strikes.
Similarly, we should not rely on anyone else to save us. When flood victims were asked if they had ropes to tie themselves with in case the flood grows, they had none. Even the Marikina flood veterans had nothing on them.
Make a disaster preparedness plan at home. Set your evacuation options. Create your own disaster kit. Don't count on instinct or adrenalin rush to save you. Beating human nature can be the key for you to survive.
The human brain is not wired to react in times of disasters.
In a plane crash, most victims are found still seated and strapped in their seats. Survivors are staring open-mouthed and clueless. Nobody will move to the exit unless someone shouts, "This way!"
Observing the events of Typhoon Ondoy, I can’t help but wonder how human nature would have helped or doomed me.
QUANDARY. We live in Parañaque - a mountainous area. Floods are not commonplace. We even have water shortage problems! But even this highland was not spared. Friends in a neighboring subdivision had their cars completely submerged. Creeks overflowed. A lot of houses were flooded.
For these flood newbies, evacuation would have never crossed their mind. After all, one would assume that the flood waters would soon subside.
In Marikina where floods are ordinary, why were many people trapped on the roof of their homes? Didn’t they even consider evacuating? What about those living in the posh villages? These families spent riches fortifying their homes. Human naivety (or pride?) would have led them to assume that their second floors, third floors or attics would protect them from the flood.
DELIBERATION. So if flood started pouring into our home last Saturday, this is what a newbie like me would have done…
• Wow, this is the first time flood has entered our house! Cool! I’ll take pictures and probably post them online.
• Call or text my housemates/relatives to say that our house is being flooded.
• Move what we can to a higher place.
• Take more pictures.
• Wait for the flood to subside.
But then again, I have no idea the waters are rising fast! Some victims said the water rose to 2-storeys high in just an hour. An hour? Come to think of it, I would have been doomed.
I heard government officials ranting that the residents did not evacuate. But no one is really to blame. We’re all but humans and again…The human brain is not wired to react in times of disasters.
EYE-OPENER. Without being overly paranoid, how can we protect ourselves next time? Think about this...The human brain is programmable. They say to prepare yourself for a plane crash, you should read all the safety instructions, listen to the demonstration and make a mental note of all the exits. Everywhere we go, huge exit signs are being installed for us to make a mental picture of them. This will be useful information when disaster strikes.
Similarly, we should not rely on anyone else to save us. When flood victims were asked if they had ropes to tie themselves with in case the flood grows, they had none. Even the Marikina flood veterans had nothing on them.
Make a disaster preparedness plan at home. Set your evacuation options. Create your own disaster kit. Don't count on instinct or adrenalin rush to save you. Beating human nature can be the key for you to survive.
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