Technological Disasters
Japan Tsunami Disaster March 2011 -- Present
Societal Consequences Discussion
The earthquake and following tsunami that hit Japan was truly a disaster -- part natural and part technological. It affected the Japanese population in many ways. There were the initial consequences that included massive loss of life and population displacement. However, there are also lasting consequences that can even include factors such as the mental health, physical health, and other societal consequences that can be long lasting. This analysis will look at the impact to the citizenry from multiple perspectives, discuss the roles of non-governmental agencies (NGOs) in the after math of the disaster, and discuss what organization would lead a recovery response if such an event occurred in the United States.
Societal Consequences Discussion
The societal consequences that have come as a result of the disaster can be thought of from different perspectives and on many different levels. The first wave of consequences include the high death toll, the building and infrastructure damages, and the displacement of an estimated three hundred thousand people. The economic damages were estimated to be in the billions and as many as fifteen thousand people lost their lives. Almost three hundred thousand buildings...
The disaster also left millions of people without power and water for an extended period of time. The initial wave of devastation can be hard to grasp and it affected the entire population of Japan directly or indirectly. With the collapse of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant, the release of radiation also played a key role.
There are also many lasting effects to a disaster that linger far beyond the original devastation. These disasters can have profound and lasting psychological effects on individual and communities that adds a different dimension to the long-term psychological trauma that the event caused (Pietrangelo, 2011). Such psychological implication are often referred to mass trauma. Ellin Bloch, Ph.D., California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, who specializes in trauma psychology and recovery, describes the grieving process for mass trauma in this way (Pietrangelo, 2011):
"Dr. Bloch cautions that, unlike the grieving process that takes place when we experience loss on an individual or family level, a multiple trauma of this nature creates a sense of grief so colossal that there are "no words to put on it... no language" that can adequately describe it. Victims may be unable…
