1106: Amanda Ripley | The Secrets to Surviving an Unthinkable Disaster

33 snips

Jan 21, 2025

Amanda Ripley, author of "The Unthinkable," delves into the fascinating dynamics of human behavior during disasters. She explains how people often freeze instead of panicking, posing a significant risk. Trust in neighbors is crucial for survival, as civilians frequently save lives in emergencies. Ripley highlights that emotional responses drive our risk assessments, leading us to fear the wrong things. Practical advice includes community training, clear communication, and methods like box breathing to stay calm under pressure.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Disaster Paradox

Disasters are more frequent but less deadly due to improved building codes and forecasting.
90% of US counties experienced a disaster between 2011-2021, but deaths dropped by two-thirds over 50 years.

INSIGHT

Trust's Importance

Declining trust, even between neighbors, hinders disaster response, as regular people are often the first responders.
Effective disaster response relies on community trust, which is currently threatened.

INSIGHT

Truth vs. Nightmare

In disasters, lethargy and denial, not panic, are the biggest challenges, delaying crucial actions.
People become surprisingly cooperative during disasters, making community vital.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Want to survive a disaster? The Unthinkable author Amanda Ripley explains why knowing your neighbors matters more than hoarding supplies.

What We Discuss with Amanda Ripley:

Contrary to popular belief, people rarely panic in disasters. Instead, the biggest challenge is often lethargy and denial — people tend to freeze or remain passive rather than exhibit chaotic behavior. This denial phase can be deadly as it delays taking necessary action.
In most disasters, the people who save lives are regular civilians, not first responders (who often can't arrive quickly enough). However, this dynamic is being threatened by declining trust — not just in institutions, but between neighbors and community members.
Our risk assessment is driven more by emotion ("dread") than rational calculation. This explains why people often fear the wrong things — like choosing to drive instead of fly, even though driving is statistically much more dangerous.
In disasters, humans experience significant sensory and cognitive impairments: vision can narrow by up to 70%, people can temporarily lose sight or hearing, and time perception becomes distorted. This is why having prior training and clear protocols is crucial.
The good news is that disaster response skills can be learned through simple, practical steps: Practice box breathing (4 counts in, hold 4, out 4, hold 4) to stay calm under stress, take free CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training in your area, and create basic emergency plans like identifying exits in buildings you frequent. These small preparations can make a huge difference in a crisis.
And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1106

And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors: jordanharbinger.com/deals

Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!

Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!

Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.