Title

The Significance of Community Support for Survivors of a Natural Disaster

Publication Date

12-30-2016

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This community based participatory research study was conducted in Oso, WA. Ten survivors of the 2014 mudslide participated in a focus group and discussed their experiences before and after this natural disaster. Findings revealed that the majority of participants had feelings of confusion/redundancy and were still processing feelings of grief and loss at the time of the focus group. Another finding was the strong sense of community expressed by all participants and the high level of support participants provided to each other during and after the mudslide. The study also highlighted the need for mental health resources to be part of any disaster relief plan because survivors need emotional support. Finally, findings demonstrated the importance of outside relief organizations seeking input from community members prior to implementing disaster relief; findings highlighted the significance of utilizing the high level of knowledge regarding area landslides expressed by members of the Oso community.

Publication Title

The Open Family Studies Journal

Volume

8

Issue

1

First Page

3

Last Page

13

DOI

10.2174/1874922401608010037

Publisher Policy

online journal; no SHERPA/RoMEO policy available

Open Access Status

OA Journal

Link to Full Text

Find in your library

Share

COinS