When Panic Strikes...

Tsunami scare in Cebu City-Photo by Philstar.com

When panic strikes traces of sanity vanish!

Such was the case when an intensity 7 earthquake struck Cebu-Negros region yesterday. Within minutes after the said earthquake, rumors of of an impending tsunami went wild, sending people into to the streets scrambling for higher grounds.  Philvolcs did issue a tsunami alert level 2 for the eastern shores of Negros Island and Western parts of Cebu. At alert level 2, which is characterize with waves of up to 3 feet (1 m)high, the likelihood of devastating effects is minimal. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii did not issue any tsunami alert stating that  "based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected." 

The move to announce alert level 2 for Negros' eastern shores and Cebu's western shores may not have been totally baseless. For one, there was a magnitude 7 earthquake and the announcement was a very good precautionary measure in order to relocate those people who are living near coastal areas. However, for that to cause so much panic  and hysteria in a place not directly under the same alert level, as in the case of Cebu City, is totally moronic. There was no alert level raised for Cebu City and surrounding areas. 

Yesterday's events are tell-tale signs of our inability to properly respond to certain calamities.

For one, there was a failure of communication right from the very top government agencies down to inter-personal level. Government agencies involved may not have been able to properly define the extent of the tsunami alert level. What does an alert level number 2 mean? What are the areas affected?  National  and local  risk and disaster management agencies and civil defense official failed to properly educate the people causing so much paranoia.

Secondly, social networking sites were abound with information.  So much information could sometimes be counter-productive. When everyone is posting bits  and pieces of a particular calamitous event with their own personal and emotional responses, other  readers would tend to duplicate the same emotional reaction, then you would have a chain of negative reactions spreading fear like wildfire. That is why it is important that we think before we say or post something. Our words and actions could have devastating effects. 

On the personal level, those who have the right information were unable to impart the correct information due to fear's contagious effect. Fear has a way of manipulating our brains to make us unable to  think rationally. When one is facing a mass of horrified people it is not hard to be carried away. Our ability to think rationally is clouded by our own emotional reaction. That is why the very first thing that we need to do when panic strikes to calm down, take a deep breath, and relax.