Convergence

Synonyms

Disaster tourism; Post disaster return

Definition

Convergence refers to the spontaneous movement of people, messages, and goods – organized and unorganized – towards a disaster area.

Overview

Following a disaster, a spontaneous movement towards the disaster-affected area of people for various reasons, messages bearing different forms of information, and goods including relief supplies are frequently observed. That movement combines organized and unorganized efforts. Such activity is termed “convergence” and is a topic in disaster research.

Fritz and Mathewson (1957) articulated reasons for what they termed “informal or unofficial convergers” to disaster sites within their theory of convergence behavior in disasters. They describe five categories – still relevant and used today, as they form the basis for ongoing convergence research – that are not mutually exclusive: the returnees, the anxious, the helpers, the curious, and the exploiters.

Returnees are disaster survivors,...