Studies carried out on over 100 major human disasters by the Disaster Research Centre of Ohio State University (set up in 1963) reveal that conditions of extreme adversity call forth extraordinary strength in human beings, which prevents them from being totally overwhelmed when catastrophe strikes. One astonishing example is the behaviour of the inhabitants of a coastal area in Texas which was ravaged by storm floods in 1961. The danger warning had been received four days before the tempest hit the coast, but over fifty percent of the population elected to remain in their homes. No less amazing is the fact that out of a population of 70,000, only 7 percent decided to leave their homes when, in 1971 a huge dam in California, which had been seriously affected by an earthquake posed a grave threat to their lives.
These studies have also revealed that the majority of the disaster victims, left undaunted by their experiences, had few qualms about the future; feelings of acute anxiety were displayed by less than 10% of the people in the flood-affected areas of Texas. The report issued by the Disaster Research Centre concludes: “The reality of events suggests that human beings are amazingly controlled and resilient in the face of adversity. Perhaps heroism—not panic or shock—is the right word to describe their most common behaviour in times of disaster.”
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