Light at the End of the Tunnel

It’s hard to remain hopeful when traveling to disaster-stricken areas and talking to those who, over the course of a few hours, have lost nearly everything. All too many we spoke with were blindsided. The reality is that most people in disaster-prone areas are not prepared for the worst-case scenario. In order to have the right mindset to prepare, you have to actually believe it could happen to you.  So many of us keep putting off being prepared, in many cases until it is too late. However, despite our natural tendency to put off addressing long-term risks, it is possible to change one’s mindset.

During our most recent production for our documentary film The Last House Standing, we traveled around the Tampa, Florida area talking to local officials and construction experts, and attended an environmental convention.  A running theme throughout all of this was despite how grim things may seem, there are still plenty of reasons to be hopeful. Resilience and construction expert Joel May told us that he is seeing more and more people recognize the need for resilient housing. Even though progress may be slow, once one house in a neighborhood is fortified, the neighbors see it, and wake up to the fact they might need to do the same thing. If they don’t realize it when they see other homes being fortified, the realization truly sinks in when the fortified homes are the only ones still standing post-disaster. Eventually many in the community realize that fortification, strength, and being proactive is the way to go.  

Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Netherlands, travels around the world talking to people about waking up to the reality of where they live and the perils they face. He helps lead efforts to minimize flood damage and makes a case for “hope” in spite of worsening natural disasters. He told us about all the eager young people who attend his events and want to change the world for the better, about all the various political and community leaders who heed what he has to say and start taking a proactive approach towards community resilience.    

While many people will look at disaster-stricken areas like Mexico Beach, Florida and think to themselves, “Boy am I glad that didn’t hit us,” there are just as many who will follow that line of thinking with something along the lines of “…but it very well could have.” That is the first step in realizing the gravity of the situation and taking the steps necessary to ensure when the big one hits, you are as prepared as you can be.