Noted journalist and author Amanda Ripley discussed "Disaster Mythology-What Really Happens at the Worst of Times" on May 14, 2013 at the 9/11 Tribute Center.

Ms. Ripley talked about the human responses to crisis at the moment a catastrophe is taking place. She researched years of disaster reporting to explain the three phases most people go through in life-or-death experiences-and how we can learn to do better. What happens to us, physically, mentally and even socially, at the worst of times? How can we prepare for the turbulence of life according to how our brain actually responds?

Ripley's 2008 book, The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes--and Why, drew heavily on interviews with survivors of the attacks of September 11th and other major disasters of all kinds. Several of the 9/11 Tribute Center's volunteer docents contributed their stories to her research.

Ms. Ripley praised the 9/11 Tribute Center volunteers for sharing their stories with visitors on a daily basis, saying, "The best disaster preparation is from people sharing their stories and helping to understand what really happens in a disaster and peoples' immediate reaction."

The 9/11 Tribute Center has trained over 500 docents who give walking tours of the 9/11 Memorial. Tribute Center guides are all members of the 9/11 community, which consist of family members, survivors, first responders, recovery volunteers, and area residents. Each tour guide explains what happened on 9/11, the aftermath, and then narrates his or her personal 9/11 story. Visitors from around the world are deeply moved by these intimate insights into people's experiences on 9/11.

Amanda Ripley is an investigative journalist who writes about human behavior and public policy for TIME magazine and the Atlantic Monthly. The Unthinkable was published in 15 countries and turned into a PBS documentary. Her next book, The Smartest Kids in the World--and How They Got That Way, will be published by Simon & Schuster in August 2013. She is currently an Emerson Fellow at the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, DC. 

"I have come to realize that all of our stories have common threads, and it is these that bond us, make us a family, and give a sense of hope and purpose"  9/11 Tribute Center guide

On the evening of May 8, in the lower level of the 9/11 Tribute Center there was non-stop applause, cheering, belly laughs, sudden tears, all accompanied by lengthy standing ovations. What super star was performing that night? It was our guides! The MOTH Community Education Program gave the 9/11 Tribute Center an enormous gift, providing us with a 6-session course. Five coaches worked with 11 guides, creating a tutorial on how to craft a story. Many lessons were learned as our guides found ways to distill their stories: the loss of a father, the pain of working on the recovery site, helping others in pain to heal while really healing oneself, dedicating oneself to helping a community rebuild. Our guides helped one another suggesting new directions and points to emphasize. The sense of support and camaraderie between the "storytellers" was enormous. The MOTH coaches taught skills of communication, shaping and how to layer and roll-out key elements. These new skills will be cherished and used by the guides with whatever story they choose to tell.

The MOTH, true stories told live - is a national organization. Poet George Dawes Green created the MOTH as he aimed to recreate in NYC the sultry summer feeling of his front porch in Georgia; people sitting around telling stories, as moths flickered in the light. The MOTH is an award-winning, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Tribute plans to continue our relationship and offer ongoing sessions to our guides with the guidance of the MOTH.