Natural Disasters

I chose natural disasters to talk about. I went through Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I was in Hattiesburg, MS.  As scary as it was, we did not have the storm surge, flooding, and devastation that was in Louisiana and on the gulf coast of Mississippi. However, here are some facts about Katrina. Over 1,836 people died, 750 missing, and millions homeless. There was looting, violence, no water or food for many days and no electricity for weeks. Help arrived after a time. FEMA trailers arrived – poor as they were.

In November 2013, a typhoon hit the Philippines. 6,166 people were killed and 28,626 were injured. 1785 are still missing and 4 million people were forced from their homes. They have no electricity, no running water or clean water for that matter, and no shelter. There is scant corrupt government housing. Only 9% of the 16 million affected have received any help to rebuild their homes.

There is absolutely no way that a child going through such devastation of the environment and family can not be affected. Such stress will affect the brain development, and improper nutritional intake will affect the body and brain. Children are resilient and their little brains and bodies will bounce back. But what of their emotions? I often wondered how those children are faring 8 years later. Are they back in their home city; did they stay away when they evacuated; was the family able to rebuild or recoup their losses from the storm; and did they get to a place where they are able to feel safe again? In the Philippines, how long will it take for their children to feel safe? to get into a home that has a roof instead of an umbrella and palm leaves? when will they get clean water to drink?

Time heals all wounds and people tend to forget about what is happening in the world once the media has left the area. But the people living the life will never forget. And it will take many years to recover and rebuild the cities. How long does it take the children to bounce back after such a horrible life event they will never forget. How long does it take for the body and brain to catch up once it takes a break and just concentrates on survival?

Harlan, C. (2014). After Typhoon, Philippines faces one of the most profound resettlement crises in decades. Retrieved February 1, 2014 from

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/after-typhoon-philippines-faces-one-of-the-most-profound-resettlement-crises-in-decades/2014/01/04/2118c6a2-71f2-11e3-bc6b-712d770c3715_story.html

Solanki, P. (2013). Hurricane Katrina: Facts and Information. Retrieved February 1, 2014 from

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hurricane-katrina-facts-and-information.html

UPI. (2014). Typhoon Death Toll Reaches 6,166 in Philippines. Retrieved February 1, 2014 from

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/01/03/Typhoon-death-toll-reaches-6166-in-Philippines/UPI-86661388773610/