Myths and Realities of Disasters

Last year the CRID conducted a user survey to determine the most tenacious myths surrounding disasters. Among the 14 that made the list:

• Any kind of help is better than nothing.
• The best alternative is to place survivors in camps.
• Disasters are divine punishment.
• Disasters are not natural occurrences.
• Men and women are equally affected by disasters.

For each of these myths, CRID has prepared a fact sheet on the myth itself and a bibliography of reading material drawn from their collection of full-text articles on the topic. The purpose of providing these specialized reference sources is to allow users to read more about (and consequently demystify) the issue, based on information that is technically sound and readily available.

This collection is organized and available in a Spanish-language CD-ROM (although many of the full text articles related to the 14 myths are in English. Write to crid@crid.or.cr or check out the material at www.crid.or.cr/crid/CD_Mitos/index.html.