Why Are We Not Preparing?

A 2006 Time article lamented that despite a series of disastrous events over a four year period – including terrorist attacks and multiple hurricanes – that Americans still do not prepare themselves.

Granted, some amount of delusion is probably part of the human condition. In A.D. 63, Pompeii was seriously damaged by an earthquake, and the locals immediately went to work rebuilding, in the same spot--until they were buried altogether by a volcano 16 years later. But a review of the past year in disaster history suggests that modern Americans are particularly, mysteriously bad at protecting themselves from guaranteed threats. We know more than we ever did about the dangers we face. But it turns out that in times of crisis, our greatest enemy is rarely the storm, the quake or the surge itself. More often, it is ourselves.

So, what does it take to get people to prepare for disasters? Retired U.S. Army General Russel Honore recently remarked at the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations annual conference that the country needs to build a culture of preparedness. One of his suggestions included a law that would require gas stations and pharmacies to have generators.

Legislation isn't the key, however. Laws don't change cultures. Instead, our culture can be altered by affecting change in a few areas, individual perception, institutional behaviors, and political priorities. Appropriate change could occur by following a template:

Urgency – Establish a sense that a change needs to occur soon to avoid predictable consequences.

Create a guiding coalition – Every movement needs leadership. To date, the guiding coalition for preparedness has too often been government and legal authorities. This is the wrong group to lead change as they often have a tendency to dictate change that improves their ability to react to a disaster rather than prevent it.

Create a strategic direction – Preparedness must be attached to bigger goals to justify the effort to do it. For example, individuals should prepare so they and their family are able to survive. Likewise, businesses should be ready so they can continue to function and serve their customer base.

Get buy-in – Once a direction is established, others must embrace it in order for it to become effective.

Build on the gains – When some people begin to embrace it others will begin to follow.

To be sure, many are preparing. But the culture is still not prevalent.