1.01 Introduction:
People do not like to think about disaster. In the minds of most people, comfort, health and plenty remain the rule throughout all time, and they live their lives accordingly. When crisis looms in any form that announces warning, they rush in panic to the grocery store to purchase a few extra supplies. This scene re-plays for the majority of the population prior to every major storm. Few places in the Australia have suffered a long-term disaster. Help in the form of shelter, food and water have always been provided within a few days. We anticipate and expect this help to arrive, and have grown dependent and apathetic because of it.
In many other parts of the world, help is not readily available. Vast populations in areas affected by war, pandemics, earthquakes, landslides and floods are left to their own devices for weeks and even months. Fear, panic, and sheer terror overwhelm the masses during and immediately after major disasters. Panic is soon replaced by overwhelming depression and apathy. Modern day threats have the potential to leave our own population in this same condition. Our survival is dependent upon a change of attitude and the acknowledgment that we are at risk.
