Toxic fear: the management of uncertainty in the wake of the Amsterdam air crash

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Abstract

This paper examines the management of uncertainty among emergency responders, the media, and the public following the crash of an Israeli cargo plane carrying apparently hazardous cargo in Amsterdam’s Bijlmermeer area. While the authorities’ management of the emergency created by the initial crash was effective, the long-term crisis management performance was considerably less effective. It is argued that, particularly in hazardous materials emergencies, considerable management attention is required in the long-term aftermath rather than seeking a quick declaration of “all clear” or determination that the crisis is over. This paper examines the roles of all actors in the crisis and addresses the nature of communications in the “disaster after the disaster”. The evolution of a “toxic fear” among citizens is documented and the social psychology of crisis management in the aftermath is examined.

Section snippets

Introduction: from “caring government” to governmental failure

On Sunday, 4 October 1992, at 6.38 p.m., an Israeli cargo plane crashed in a suburban high-rise area of Amsterdam (The Netherlands). The El Al Boeing 747 freighter, in a desperate attempt to return to Schiphol airport after losing two of its engines, bored its way into two apartment blocks in Amsterdam’s Bijlmermeer area. The crash killed 43 people (including the plane’s crew) and destroyed 266 apartments. Immediately after the crash, the Amsterdam authorities initiated a massive emergency

From disaster management to urban crisis management (October 1992)

The initial response to the air crash was quite effective [5]. Fire trucks, police cars, ambulances and other emergency services appeared quickly on the scene. The Amsterdam crisis center was quickly activated and took full charge within hours. A few “deficiencies” occurred, which would be defined as significant not until much later. For example, the cockpit voice recorder was never found. This mysterious and unexplainable loss — cockpit voice recorders are known to survive explosions and

Health problems in the Bijlmer

The Bijlmer air crash caused a relatively low number of deaths (43) and injuries (26). The Amsterdam city council was aware from the beginning that many more people could suffer from the disaster in an emotional and psychological sense. Immediately after the crash, the mayor of Amsterdam therefore asked the local medical services (GG&GD) to formulate a plan for the long-term aftercare of survivors. The plan should aim at preventing psychological and mental damage from happening. The plan was

Uncertainty, fear and stress: can governmental mismanagement make us sick?

We have documented a rise of reported health complaints in the course of the Bijlmer aftermath. It is fair to say that it is this long-term persistence in health complaints on the part of Bijlmer residents that played a significant part in the parliamentary decision process to initiate an inquiry. In this section, we will argue that government authorities, at both the local and the national level, consistently underestimated the importance of post-disaster care. This form of negligence was not

The fear of the unknown

There is some debate between sociologists and psychologists on what really matters in the aftermath of disasters. Not surprisingly, psychologists focus primarily on psychological problems that victims have to deal with. Traumas are normal experiences after an abnormal situation. Some people, however, will be affected by this traumatic experience for years and years on end, heavily influencing their day to day life. This is referred to as a syndrome or a disorder. Much attention must be paid,

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Paul ‘t Hart for his constructive comments on an earlier version of this article.

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