Responding to “unconventional” millennial predictions

In the past, predictions of impending natural disasters have captured public attention for a variety of reasons. When such predictions gain momentum, they can have serious consequences for those to whom the public turns for advice, information, and comfort. Over the next few years, it is anticipated that predictions anchoring on the arrival of the millennium will appear and gain notoriety. Research has shown, however, some commonalties among predictions and predictors, as well as how to effectively transmit risk information to the public. The purpose of this paper is to provide those responding to unconventional predictions of imminent disaster a framework within which to guide their actions.