Surviving Disasters

By Wren Mast-Ingle

‘We do not live to think, but, on the contrary,

We think in order that we may succeed in surviving’

Jose Ortega y Gasset (Spanish philosopher and humanist 1883-1955)

A cataclysmic end to the planet aside, we face a world that increasingly offers challenges from violent reactions in human beings seeking to change their dispensation as well as natural disasters – or perhaps because of greater frequency and strength in these times we should call them unnatural disasters.

Watching these events unfold instils a degree of anxiety or even fear especially as today’s sophisticated communications brings it all to our doorsteps.  The sharing of disasters, riots, demonstrations, wars and epidemics with those on the ground creates a reality which we strive to  distance ourselves in an attempt to feel that it could not, or will not happen to us.

The danger of this is that when the unexpected happens, we become paralysed on two levels…as an individual frozen by fear and as being part of a social structure that is disrupted leaving no predetermined or habitual course of action.

Jason Grove of Roxsure Insurance Brokers points out that cover allows a certain peace of mind when facing everyday travails.  “Nevertheless the importance of saving life and limbs should be paramount and should be considered as a prerequisite to our daily lives.

Author Amanda Ripley published a book ‘The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes – and Why.  Here we look at her advice on ways to improve your disaster personality as published in Time Magazine June 23, 2008. She points out that while we have preconceived ideas on how we might handle an emergency most of us would be wrong.  However, there are ways we can become more resilient.

The five points made are: Attitude, Knowledge, Anxiety Level, Body Weight and Training. How these are pertinent is wonderfully illustrated in Time’s story cover story How to Survive a Disaster.  The Head of Security for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Rick Rescoria had introduced a programme that got MS employees to take responsibility for their survival, a programme that sometimes irritated the conservative banker community there and disrupted important business meetings. 

The direct result of this programme was that 2 687 employees occupying 22 floors in Tower 2 of the World Trade Centre escaped the destruction of the building in the 9/11 terrorist attack.  Rescoria determined to help to the end lost his life, as did four of his security guards and 13 colleagues from the company.

From the 2012 website www.mi5.co.za 

Part II uploaded on January 14