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Man-made disasters are occurrences that come about due to man’s activities on the earth’s surface. They can be intentional or accidental, but in either case, they can cause great harm to human beings, animals, property and the environment at large. Some examples of man-made disasters include global warming which has been caused by excessive burning of fossils and deforestation or land cultivation this exposing the settlements to landslides, soil erosion, and desertification. Some disasters caused by man intentionally include terrorism and war (Schein 2006).
On the other hand, natural disasters occur naturally and can cause severe losses to humans, directly or indirectly, and also environmental destruction. Some of these include earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, eruptions, and hurricanes. For example, the Spanish flu of 1918-1919, that killed millions of people even more than the First World War which was before it (James, 1996). Effects of such disasters can be very devastating since they occur naturally without man’s prior knowledge hence the need to be prepared through prior planning.
Other disasters can be classified as both man-made and natural since they occur due to a combination of the two factors. For example, mine collapse can be said to occur naturally due to earth’s shifts and at the same can be man-made due to poor construction of mines by man.
Whether natural or man-made, the effects of such disasters can be very devastating to mankind, either physically or psychologically. The reactions of people at the individual and community level may also differ in either case. A natural disaster model proposed by Chapman 1962 (as cited in James, 1996, p. 102) reveals that there are stages that follow before a disaster occurs. Before a natural disaster strikes, there is the ‘warning stage’ where warnings may be sent to people, though some may ignore or probably may not get the information. By the time it gets to ‘threat stage’, signs of an impending danger begin to be felt, although in this case, some disasters have little or no prior warning. When a disaster finally strikes – ‘impact stage’, there is a lot of anxiety amongst people close to it or those who had a prior experience of a similar occurrence. At ‘inventory’ and ‘rescue’ stages, rescue efforts by those near begin while others access the losses. In many cases, government and other agencies intervene to offer some help to the survivors thus giving them some hope of survival, ‘remedy’ stage. In a case where the intensity of the disaster is very high, the survivors may start feeling discouraged and abandoned especially when some of the help groups start pulling out of the rescue exercise. At the recovery stage which may be several months or years, people tart rebuilding their property and psychological lives, though it is usually a slow and bumpy process. Similarly, this also happens in the case of a manmade disaster (James, 1996).
In both cases, the psychological impacts may have long-term effects on the victims such as, believe that similar phenomena might occur again and affect an individual. People also tend to think and discuss so much on the happenings and this results in increased fears. Resulting deaths and property loss tend to trouble people as they feel prone to a similar disaster in the future and their inability to protect themselves. A disaster where with no prior warning and one that seems to be out of control with so much trauma has a more harsh impact on the victims and more long-term psychological effects. All these are characteristic of both natural and technological disasters.
The psychological and emotional effects are more severe and tend to last longer when several people are victims of a disaster. Those involved at a personal level may suffer most but survivors as well may have long and short-term effects. When a disaster involves victimizations of the victims, the reactions tend to be tenser for the people involved and even the response groups find it quite challenging to offer relief. This mostly happens if the crime was man-made and moreover intentional (Danieli & Brom 2005). The government’s response in such a case is more intricate, stressful and the area is branded a crime scene where movements may be limited. This is unlike in the case of a natural disaster where relief efforts are done with several agencies offering to help
According to Ursano and Norwood (2003), stress experienced when a natural disaster occurs is mostly related to lack of prior warning, loss of property and lives and separation from loved ones. This may be experienced for some time but heal in 18months time unless the intense and number of sufferers was quite extreme. In the case of a man-made disaster, the post-traumatic stress disorder associated with the threat to life may be long-lasting and take a lot of time to heal.
Ted and Theodore (2006) say that in an occurrence of a natural disaster, spiritual beliefs may be distorted where some people may start to lose faith in God for allowing such a thing to happen. Others feel a bit insecure as they realize that no one is indestructible by such an act of nature. On the other hand, a technological disaster may bring about distrust among people on realizing that the world is no longer secure and that one cannot keep away from danger. Survivors of such an act may tend to be withdrawn as they feel that no one around can be trusted.
Most natural disasters tend to affect poor people or low-income earners since they live in places that are prone to such disasters as landslides and floods. Victims from certain groups like the disabled, orphans or some ethnic groups tend to take more time to heal thus making them feel more stigmatized and increasing psychological stress. Victims of a technological disaster on the other hand may start feeling guilty and humiliated especially if they are not in a position to offer help. Family, friends and the community may stay away on realizing that a mishap can happen to anybody. Continued encouragement of those affected to carry on with their live may make them feel as if they are wrong for their suffering (Ted and Theodore 2006).
Victims of a technological disaster tend to feel helpless in pursuit of justice or compensation from the concerned authorities since the process is sometimes long, bureaucratic and frustrating. At times, they feel that the penalty enforced on the culprits is not worth enough compared to the suffering they undergo. Sufferers of a natural disaster on the other hand may feel disheartened as all their needs may not be met by the assisting agencies due to the long procedures involved in channeling of resources or even the inadequacy of the resources themselves (Ursano, McCaughey and Rhaphael 1995).
In conclusion, the effects of a disaster, whether natural or technological have severe impact on the victims, some of which might be short-lived while others may be experienced as long as one lives. Proper plans should therefore be made in advance on issues relating to preparedness, response and recovery so as to counter the effects of a future calamity. Such plans do not necessarily prevent a disaster from occurring but they help in managing the damages caused with much ease.
Reference
Danieli Y., Brom D. & Sills J. (2005).The trauma of terrorism: sharing knowledge and shared care, an international handbook. Routledge
James K. Mitchell (Ed.) (1996). The long road to recovery: Community responses to industrial disaster. United Nations University Press
Schein A. L., (2006) Psychological effects of catastrophic disasters: group approaches to treatment. Routledge
Ted S. & Theodore S. (2006). Acts of God: the unnatural history of natural disaster in America (2nd ed.) Oxford University Press
Ursano J. R., McCaughey G. B. & Rhaphael B. (1995) Individual and Community Responses to Trauma and Disaster: The Structure of Human Chaos. Cambridge University Press
Ursano J. R., & Norwood A. E. (2003). Trauma and disaster responses and management. Cambridge University Press.
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