Unthinkable

How will you react when disaster strikes-why?

On average, 9/11 Trade Center survivors waited for 6 minutes after the alarm was sounded before heading downstairs. Some made phone calls, some gathered their stuff together. At least 1,000 took the time to shut down their computer. Why were their reactions so delayed?

Residents of New Orleans were advised to evacuate the city at least 48 hours before Hurricane Katrina's landfall. The majority of people who stayed behind could afford to go, they simply chose to stay. Why did they not understand how much peril they were in?
On the evening of 29 December 1972, an Eastern Air Lines jet began its final approach to Miami International Airport. When the pilot tried to lower the landing gear, the green light that showed the wheels were fully engaged did not come on. Concerned, the crew began to investigate this fault. They became so preoccupied, however, that they didn't notice when the plane changed altitude. A few minutes later, they crashed. Reports from the scene of the accident showed that the only thing wrong with the plane was a broken green lightbulb. How could the pilot become so obsessed with a tiny detail that he forgot about flying the plane?

In extreme circumstances, the mind does peculiar things, and in The Unthinkable award-winning journalist Amanda Ripley has interviewed 9/11 and plane crash survivors, risk analysts and psychologists to get to the bottom of how people behave when disaster strikes. Vividly describing some of the most harrowing catastrophes and breath-taking escapes, Amanda draws out the three stages of disaster response: Denial, Deliberation and Decision, explaining why many of us slow down just when we should be running for our lives and identifying the habits that may help disaster victims to save themselves.

If you've ever wondered how you would react in a crisis, if you would crumble with fear or discover superhuman strengths, The Unthinkable will prove compelling reading.