Responses to Unforseen Disasters

Some disasters are virtually impossible to foresee, or at least are completely unforeseen by most of the people who experience the disaster. Sometimes, there are warning signs available to experts, but disasters such as the December 26, 2004 tsunami or 9/11 struck most of their victims with virtually no warning. These disasters have a number of effects, one of which will be discussed here – i.e., tunnel vision.

By definition, it is unreasonable to expect individuals to prepare for unforeseen disasters (in contrast, organizations might be expected to prepare for a wide range of disasters, even though many are frankly unlikely to occur). Other than some vague anticipation that some thing might occur, there is probably little people can or will do to anticipate and prepare for some disasters. What happens, then, when some unforeseen disaster strikes.

Disasters that strike without warning seem to be especially stressful. Even in cases where people do little to physically prepare for an expected disaster (e.g., families living on a flood plain might not obtain or prepare emergency response kits), a case can be made that warnings of a disaster help people to psychologically prepare. Unforeseen disasters lead to a wide variety of effects, one of which is tunnel vision.

Tunnel vision refers to the tendency to focus almost exclusively on one particular stimulus or event, and shut out most of what is going on around you. In some ways, this is an adaptive response – when things are falling apart around you, it may be possible to process all of the incoming information, and developing a narrow field of focus may keep one from being overwhelmed. Because there has been little or no opportunity to psychologically prepare for a disaster, stimulus overload of this type is particularly likely.

Tunnel vision is not the only, and not necessarily the most common response to an unforeseen disaster, but it is indicative of a general theme that is important to understand. When people are faced with usually severe stress, they are likely to respond in ways that reduces the immediate threat and stress, even if that response is not a very adaptive one in the long run.