In the crisis typology, Level III refers to what?

• A. A personal tragedy
• B. A major personal crisis
• C. A disaster or threatened disaster
• D. A routine disruption

Answer: (C)

Level III in the crisis typology denotes events of a scale that disrupts a community or large system, qualifying as a disaster or a potential disaster. This goes beyond individual problems and routine interruptions, involving widespread impact that requires coordinated response from emergency services, government agencies, schools, and community resources. Think of natural disasters, large-scale accidents, or other threats that overwhelm typical coping and necessitate rapid mobilization of supports for many people. By contrast, a personal tragedy or major personal crisis is localized to one or a few individuals and is typically addressed with targeted, shorter-term crisis intervention, while routine disruptions are minor disruptions that people usually handle with their usual coping strategies. So Level III is all about disasters or threatened disasters.