Surprising Mental Blocks to Emergency Preparedness

As a professional worrier, I’m well aware that my favourite topics- Emergency Preparedness and safety- are about as sexy as a fanny pack or a three wheeled motorcycle. I know this because whenever I give talks or training, I routinely encounter glazed eyes, blank stares and outright resistance to the notion of preparing for both anticipated and unexpected emergency events.

The First Public Report of the National Risk Profile, found "notable gaps" in Canadians disaster risk awareness A 2021 IPSOS survey for the federal government found that most Canadians (74%) believe they live in low- or moderate-risk areas, with only 4% perceiving high risk and 21% are unaware of their risk level or haven't considered it.

Many Canadians are unconcerned (29%) or unaware (47%) of specific weather-related or natural hazard risks. While most of us happen to have "some" emergency supplies, only 27% have taken most recommended safety measures, and just 11% have actively reduced their home's risk from weather-related disasters.

Canada as a place is beautiful. It’s also riddled with earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, ice storms, wildfires so….you’d think we’d care more about Preparedness.

But, it’s not really about “caring” vs “not caring”. It’s more nuanced than that. There are common psychological barriers to the concept of Emergency Preparedness. Here are a few:

GOOD VIBES ONLY

Ah yes, The Optimist, with a “Live, Laugh, Love” attitude can suffer from a wee little bias. Optimists tend to believe they’re less likely than others to experience adverse events, and that the act of preparing for something that will probably never happen, is unpleasant and unnecessary. Optimists prefer to focus on the positives, and in doing so can neglect to take necessary precautions, like creating an Emergency Plan or assembling a Disaster Kit.

Good news for those Optimists, Emergency Planning is not all doom and gloom. There is no risk of manifesting a disaster by simply thinking about how to prepare for one. In fact, I like to focus on the positives of Emergency Planning, like feelings of empowerment, resilience and togetherness that emerge from these activities. Namaste.

THE PROCRASTINATOR

“Don’t rush me. I’m waiting for the last minute.”

Full disclosure, this is me. Procrastinators tend to prioritise present and immediate needs over future concerns, and the sheer volume conflicting information available on emergency preparedness can derail the Procrastinator who may have good intentions to prepare….when? Dunno. Just not now. Probably later. Unfortunately, disasters often strike with little to no warning, leaving Procrastinators unprepared.

Procrastinators benefit from checklists to follow, and taking small, measurable steps.

TOO BROKE, TOO BUSY (TBTB)

If you’re TBTB, you might actually recognize the importance of preparedness but are understandably derailed by the perceived effort, time, or costs. Preparing for emergencies can include some financial investment, but if you do it a bit at a time or pool resources with your neighbors and family it’s not prohibitive.

In fact, I recommend having that conversation with your family, colleagues and neighbors. After all, chances are if a disaster impacts you, it’s likely your family, colleagues and neighbors will be impacted by the same event. Why not plan together, collaborate and pool resources?

BEEN THERE. DONE THAT. GOT THE T-SHIRT

Sometimes when people live through a disaster unscathed, they believe that future events will follow the same pattern. This bias can prevent people from acknowledging evacuation alerts and weather warnings, causing them to underestimate potential impacts.

The world is rapidly changing, and no two Emergency events are the same. By investing a bit of energy into Emergency planning, you can mitigate impacts from unforeseen interruptions to your life whether it’s a weather event, an extended power outage, supply chain disruptions or whatever else life throws your way.

Need help getting started? Let me know! resiliencelab.vic@gmail.com