Compare And Contrast The Sinking Of R. M. S. Lusitania

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Disaster Similarities. The sinking of the R.M.S. Lusitania and the Haiti earthquakes of 2010 are not similar in either type of disaster or the number of resulting victims, but they do share some similarities. Neither the passengers aboard the Lusitania nor the people of Haiti had anywhere to go to escape the impending devastation. Both disasters exposed the individuals involved directly to life threatening danger. Following the explosions on the ship and the earthquake in Haiti, survivors witnessed deceased victims all around them, they both witnessed people dying and injured with no means of medical care. The torpedo attack and the earthquakes came as a violent and devastating surprise. The similarities of these two disasters are however …show more content…

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is oftentimes the response of victims of a disaster. PTSD is a pattern of behavioral, biological, psychological, and social responses experienced by some persons that have been directly or indirectly involved in an event that threatens their lives with injury or death (Young, Ford, Ruzek, Friedman, & Gusman, n.d., p.15). As mentioned, individuals directly involved and those not directly involved in the incident can both experience PTSD. Michelle Chen writes, “It's easy to forget that humanitarian heroes are also workers, facing some of the most brutal occupational hazards on earth.” (Chen, Jan 22). Some of the symptoms of PTSD include anger, feeling nothing or numb, feeling guilty, avoiding thinking about anything having to do with the disaster, shock, feeling helpless, confusion, nightmares, and disbelief. Most symptoms associated with PTSD only last about a month, but some can last longer. After the Lusitania was torpedoed, many witnesses along the shore rushed to help the survivors. They also retrieved around 200 bodies from the water. As these people helped pile bodies into heaps and experience the extreme loss secondhand, some suffered from the symptoms of PTSD. As the United States heard the news of the attack and learned of their fellow Americans had lost their lives, they were outraged and in shock, …show more content…

Outside assistance has usually arrived and the survivors can step back some from the Historic phase and be taken care of by recovery teams. Media coverage is greater; the survivors are receiving attention and have hope that life will soon be restored to a state of normalcy. Clean up has begun and there is the hope of even more help arriving. Help from all over the world came to aid Haiti and even through all of the physical devastation, there was hope of rebuilding and restoration. The Honeymoon phase can last from one week following a disaster or as long as six months.
Next is the Disillusionment phase. As outside recovery agencies begin to leave and promises of aid are not being fulfilled, feelings of anger, betrayal, abandonment, and disappointment take root. Media coverage lessened significantly, help was leaving and the people of Haiti were still left with massive amounts of destruction. People were still living in makeshift shelters and the rain season was fast approaching. There was even an outbreak in cholera due to contaminated drinking water. It is during the Disillusionment phase that post-traumatic stress symptoms can become

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