Shattered Lives
Victims of Katrina lost everything, especially their sense of security and well-being. Can they bounce back?
What the long-term effects of this catastrophe will be, no one can tell. And yet, as desperate as the images were, and as psychologically damaging as the disaster may prove to be, the capacity for resilience among those who have lost everything is one of the greatest psychological gifts and mysteries. Research has shown that one form of active coping that is deeply connected to resilience is altruism. Anthony Ng, chair of the American Psychiatric Association's Committee on Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters, visited Pearlington, Miss., last week, one of the hardest-hit locations in the storm's wake. Only 600 of the town's 1,700 residents remain. "A lot of folks here are really dependent on each other to begin with," Ng says. "Are we tapping into helping people help each other? That is our job right now."
Coping. The maximized community involvement may result, experts hope, in long-term psychological well-being for Katrina's victims. Another aspect of active coping entails turning victims into partners as recovery efforts are being shaped. "If instead of active participation, people are treated as supplicants for whom the government is doing a favor, if their futures are simply handed down to them from the top, their sense of powerlessness will be intensified," says Okin. "And so will their long-term painful responses to the hurricane."
While there have been abundant images of loss, there have been similarly abundant images of generosity. When families are reunited, when perfect strangers become intimates, when communities mobilize to help, psychological damage is minimized. As Rita bears down, the still-fresh lessons of Katrina serve as a reminder both of what not to do and what must be done. "You have to do what you always do during times like this," says Robison. "People will get through this by helping each other." Within that neighborly statement resides a profound psychological truth.
The survivors. Photographs by Kevin Horan for USN&WR
Vivien Monus (from left) is staying at a community center shelter in Long Beach, Miss. "I hope they'll find me a trailer."
Lavone Lollar (with two of her children) is sheltered at a church in Ocean Springs, Miss. "I just want to get out of here."
Dale Kirk also took refuge at the Ocean Springs church. He lost his wife during the storm. "I cried 'til I couldn't cry no more."
Phil Armstrong, who experienced Hurricane Camille, is living in a tent at the Long Beach shelter. "We lost everything--again."
Adam Walter (left) and Chris Murphy, two teenagers from Baltimore, are helping Ocean Springs, Miss., residents (Murphy's father owns a construction company) clean up debris.
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