Essay On Trauma After Natural Disaster

Trauma after Natural Disaster: A Caribbean Review
The need to be trained in trauma response appears to be greater today than any previous time in history. Since the 21st century, traumatic events, due to natural disasters have been occurring more frequently. Vivid memories remain of the terrors of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunamis; 2005 Hurricane Katrina; and in the Caribbean- the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It is believed that we are likely to experience more devastating natural disasters especially in light of global warming, population growth and increase land usage (Riebeek, 2005; Charvériat, 2000). To provide a framework for discussion, a definition of natural disaster, in simple terms, is provided as “a natural event such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane that causes great damage or loss of life” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2014). Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (hereafter referred to as ODPEM) refers to a natural disaster as “rare or extreme events in the environment that can adversely affect human life, property or our way of life; the impact exceeds a community’s or a nation’s capacity to respond to them” (2008). According to Child (1995), any conceptualization of the term natural disaster must include people as no hazard exists apart from the human response to it. Child (1995) further states that “the study of environmental hazards is an examination of the complex interactions between physical and human systems”. The focus of this paper is to examine the trauma related functions of this human response, how they impact individuals as well as societies with a close examination of the Caribbean context.
The scope of the problem
History. The first recorded natural disaster would be ...

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... and re-stabilize their economies. Productive and healthy (to include psychological health) people will be required for successful recovery. Success in disaster management will depend on the willingness of governments and NGOs to learn from the experiences of survivors, and the capacity of these entities to implement recovery strategies that are conducive to the cultural and economic realities of the region.
Finally, there is a need in the Caribbean for more trained clinicians who are competent in crises intervention and who understand that culture and economic conditions influence the ways in which survivors and communities experience, witness and cope in the aftermath of traumatic events. Interventions should be appropriate for each survivor and based on the cultural context with focus on building resilience and learning to thrive through collaborative efforts.