2008 Woodie Awards
The Cost of Calamity
Are we ready? A new study led by CoBA Professor William Burns
Ivan Garcia
Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: Features
In the Fall semester of 2007, California and its residents experienced the tragedies, panic, and potential consequences of the wildfires that plagued the state for weeks. Since the events of the California wildfires and even as far back as the events of 9/11, there have been numerous studies on the reaction of humans to these types of events.
Dr. William Burns, a professor in the College of Business Administration here at California State University San Marcos, now has the privilege of studying the effects of these types of disasters with the assistance of some prominent professionals and distinguished organizations.
"It's a myth that people panic in disasters. Research simply doesn't support it," states Burns. But adverse effects are not limited to panic, and the reactions that victims of these events have is the main idea of this study.
Assisting Dr. Burns is the team of psychologist, Paul Slovak of Decision Research, Adam Rose and Garrett Asaey, economists at USC. As Decision Analyst of this study, Burns says he wishes to "examine and better understand the connection between people's responses to disasters, including terrorism."
The process of surveying and presenting different scenarios to a multitude of people on varying levels of categories (income, ethnicity, location, etc.) will help this team of educated individuals determine the responses that many people might have to various disastrous events.
Various people are asked multiple questions about how traumatic events would effect their psyches, economic standing, and personal decisions. These findings will help set a procedure for how we evaluate the different effects of an incident. This can include not only a person's reaction, but also media coverage, responses of the masses, and procedures to help community leaders and the public.
This study can vary depending on the surveys. Many factors will be taken into account when it comes to this study. Factors like location, the individual, dialect, and the type of disaster will all drastically influence the reaction of the media, government, and public support.
Dr. William Burns, a professor in the College of Business Administration here at California State University San Marcos, now has the privilege of studying the effects of these types of disasters with the assistance of some prominent professionals and distinguished organizations.
"It's a myth that people panic in disasters. Research simply doesn't support it," states Burns. But adverse effects are not limited to panic, and the reactions that victims of these events have is the main idea of this study.
Assisting Dr. Burns is the team of psychologist, Paul Slovak of Decision Research, Adam Rose and Garrett Asaey, economists at USC. As Decision Analyst of this study, Burns says he wishes to "examine and better understand the connection between people's responses to disasters, including terrorism."
The process of surveying and presenting different scenarios to a multitude of people on varying levels of categories (income, ethnicity, location, etc.) will help this team of educated individuals determine the responses that many people might have to various disastrous events.
Various people are asked multiple questions about how traumatic events would effect their psyches, economic standing, and personal decisions. These findings will help set a procedure for how we evaluate the different effects of an incident. This can include not only a person's reaction, but also media coverage, responses of the masses, and procedures to help community leaders and the public.
This study can vary depending on the surveys. Many factors will be taken into account when it comes to this study. Factors like location, the individual, dialect, and the type of disaster will all drastically influence the reaction of the media, government, and public support.
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