Coping With a Disaster or Traumatic Events 2011 Tornadoes

Coping with a Disaster or Traumatic Event

Disasters are realities and bearing this in mind, there is a requirement to have comprehensive plans to ensure that there are coping systems and mechanisms in place to deal with the physical, mental and emotional problems faced after any fortuitous events

The paper will commence with various facts and statistics regarding how 2011 has been a banner year in terms of the number of tornadoes that hit the United States. Thence, emphasis will be placed on two major tornadoes that wreak the most havoc -- the one in Alabama that occurred in April 2011 and the month thereafter, the Joplin, Missouri tornado.

The succeeding paragraph will introduce the thesis statement especially not only the death and destruction brought about by tornadoes but the physical, mental and emotional turmoil cause by these extraordinary events.

Physical Problems After Disaster or Traumatic Events

The section will deal with the physical injuries and diseases resulting from being victims of tornadoes. This part will portray how more manageable these ailments are compared to what will be discussed in the succeeding sections because of the visible signs of these problems.

2. These part will introduce the problems of tornado victims with regards to the emotional and psychological levels. There will be emphasis on the non-life threatening aspects of these problems that may not be apparent initially but left untreated or undiagnosed may pose additional problems.

III. Mental and Emotional Problems Faced in the Aftermath

1. The section will detail the problems brought about by emotional and mental ailments following disasters. The signs and symptoms of the various traumas will be presented on a general level.

2. This part will deal with how adults and children handle emotional and psychological trauma and the differences with their coping mechanisms.

IV. The Stages of Grief

1. The section will discussed the five stages of grief as postulated by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in the late 1960s.

2. Further discussions on the stages of grief will be manifested in this section and in the latter part, post traumatic stress disorder will be introduced.

V. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

1. The rest of the section will detail what PTSD is and how to determine signs and symptoms thereof. In the concluding paragraphs, there will be emphasis on what should be provided to first-responders suffering from PTSD.

VI. Conclusion

1. The conclusion will consolidate and summarize all the ideas presented throughout the paper.

VII. References

1. Bellafiore, D.R. (2011). The aftermath of trauma: Post-traumatic stress disorder. Available at http://www.drbalternatives.com/articles/gc5.html

2. Camp, A. (2011, June 3). Dr. Ducharme -- How to cope with the Springfield tornado disaster. Available at http://wrch.radio.com/2011/06/03/dr-ducharme-how-to-cope-with-the-springfield-tornado-disaster/

3. Cracking the Glass Ceiling. (2011, June 2). Coping after a traumatic event Available at http://crackingtheglassceiling.com/2011/06/02/coping-after-a-traumatic-event/