The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters Paperback February 7, 2017

The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters In "The Ostrich Paradox", authors Robert Meyer and Howard Kunreuther explore why people are often ill-equipped to handle disastrous risks. Using the framework of fast and slow thinking, the authors delve into the reasons behind our poor preparedness for disasters, such as short-term thinking, forgetting recent history, over-optimism, inertia, simplification, and herding. The book primarily focuses on US hurricanes and their impact, but it fails to examine global trends in deaths from natural disasters or the improvements in air travel safety. Additionally, it overlooks the impact of US laws that transfer risk onto the government through repeated bailouts of high-risk homeowners. While the book is relevant in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, it misses the opportunity to highlight how certain countries, like Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand, have handled the crisis better than others, suggesting that good institutions play a crucial role in disaster management. "The Ostrich Paradox" is a relatively short book that covers a lot of ground. While it provides valuable insights into individual cognitive biases and offers practical ideas for improving decision-making around preventive measures, it may leave readers wanting more depth and exploration of various events and scenarios. Overall, "The Ostrich Paradox" is a worthwhile read for those interested in risk reduction, emergency management, and disaster recovery. It presents an interesting thesis and research, but its brevity may leave some readers craving more comprehensive analysis.