FROM “ROOT SHOCK” TO RECONSTRUCTION: THE HUMAN SIDE OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT Dr. Joseph O. Prewitt Diaz Introduction The last ten years have been the ground for a shift in the response paradigm from one based on addressing the material needs, to one where the beneficiaries have begun to define their Psychosocial needs as a priority. The last two years, have been spent by many, in the humanitarian arena figuring out the challenges and opportunities that emerged as a result of the collective response to major disasters. Since 2004, standards and guidelines regarding psychosocial support have emerged as a consensus of the humanitarian assistance community. As humanitarian agencies transition from rehabilitation and reconstruction, it is important to keep in mind the human side of disaster management (preparation, response, recovery, and reconstruction). Probably one of the most significant findings all the recent evaluation studies , conducted by the Red Cross movement is the value of psychosocial support activities in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. The most recent strategies of the Movement suggest that psychosocial support activities should continue well into recovery and reconstruction. These findings and suggestions have led to discussion in the Headquarters of donor National Societies to question the appropriateness of yet another intervention in the repertoire of response. This paper posits that there is a human “continuum” that flows parallel to the well known continuum of disasters adopted over a half a century ago by the Disaster response community. The continuum flows like this: Figure: 1 This presentation will discuss the “Continuum of Human reactions to Disasters” and suggest that until these psychological processes take place our respective organizations will not have fulfilled the basic tenets of the humanitarian assistance profession: “Do no harm”. Root Shock The term “root shock” evolves from field of plant biology. It suggest that when a plant of shrub is transplanted a majority of the roots are left behind, thus depriving the plant from important nutrients, and water, essential elements for its survival. Another perspective is presented Fullilove is that “root shock” as a profound emotional upheaval that destroys the world view that has existed in a person’s head. It is like experiencing a traumatic event where a person has lost everything that made sense to them: house, family, community institutions, familiar places, and community structures which provided them with a sense of security. The older the survivor the more difficult it is to recover from “root shock”: re-establishing a feeling of personal security, feeling connected, and building a new perception of the future based on a past that no longer exists. A person will begin to look forward as they find a “place”. Sense of place has a primary developmental influence across the life span. By nature human beings are bound to a place. From family to community wide activities occur within the confines of a cultural and physical place. Place is an attitude of enduring affinity with a known locality and the ways of life they sponsor. The result of a major disaster or catastrophic event such as the 2004 South Asia earthquake and tsunami caused hundred of thousands of persons to experience “root shock” The first step in the continuum is to get scars to heal and to begin to move ahead, to connect people to one another, to celebrate the lost and the new, and to have everyone who was impacted begin to look at the future, and define their needs. To accomplish this step psychosocial support activities have become recognized as a viable conduit. Psychosocial support Psychosocial support social addresses the reactions to enormous losses, which often times are ignored in the immediate aftermath or forgotten during the reconstruction phase of a disaster. The factors that lead to increased distress after an extreme event are loss of a family member, community support structures, employment, and valued material possessions. The psychosocial support practitioner must be an expert in methodologies of addressing loss and trauma, as well as community development and change, within the platform of culture, context and coordination with the primary stake holders. Psychosocial support is an intervention to assist disaster-affected communities in their collective recovery after experiencing various traumatic life events as a result of a disaster. The American Red Cross community-based psychosocial support model considers a community to be the social and psychological foundation for the individual and the foundation for safety, belonging, livelihood, and education. Psychosocial support builds on the knowledge and awareness of the local needs and protective factors to provide psychological and social support to people involved in disaster situations. To meet the needs of people during traumatic life events it is essential to enhance the capacity of all members of the community to strengthen existing networks or to create new ones as needed. ARC psychosocial support projects are community-based (focused towards the individual, household or community) and identified, planned, and developed by the affected population with support and guidance from the local Red Cross. There are two types of psychosocial support interventions that have been observed in the theater of a disaster. The first type is non-participative interventions imposed into the Host National Society to undertake certain pre-determined activities (eg. The development of community centers with centralized services for all segments of the community, specific interventions which may not be culturally or religiously appropriate, or materials that are foreign to the surviving populations). The second type is involving community members in identifying community needs, identifying interventions, and implementing those interventions. Members of the community are better placed to act as change agents (eg. building the capacity of teachers, traditional healers, social workers, and others in the community to understand the emotional needs of children and community members). Psychosocial support recognizes the importance of the social context in addressing the psychological impact of stressful events experienced in emergencies. In practice, this means facilitating the reconstruction of local social structures (families, schools) which may have been destroyed or weakened by the disaster, so that they can give appropriate and effective support to those suffering severe stress related to their experience. Psychosocial support is an intervention to assist disaster-affected communities in their collective recovery after experiencing various traumatic life events as a result of a disaster. The American Red Cross community-based psychosocial support model considers a community to be the social and psychological foundation for the individual and the foundation for safety, belonging, livelihood, and education. Psychosocial support builds on the knowledge and awareness of the local needs and protective factors to provide psychological and social support to people involved in disaster situations. To meet the needs of people during traumatic life events it is essential to enhance the capacity of all members of the community to strengthen existing networks or to create new ones as needed. ARC psychosocial support projects are community-based (focused towards the individual, household or community) and identified, planned, and developed by the affected population with support and guidance from the local Red Cross. Community Development Once the individuals have identified their new surroundings and addressed issue of loss through techniques such as psychological first aid and coming together through community planned and directed activities, the individuals themselves begin to identify a need to “build” their new place. The transition between the psychosocial phase and the community development phase are achieved when (1) people feel that there new housing is in a “good enough place”, (2) people have settled down in a home, and a neighborhood, (3) people care for the shared spaces, and (4) people interact with neighbors to solve communal problems. These activities are defined within the confines of community development. Community development is defined as the deliberate attempt of community people to work together and guide the future of their communities and the development of corresponding set of techniques for assisting community people in such process. In the initial stages the activities include having common meetings to vision their future together. The individuals begin create a new sense of “place” or “community” through informal activities of congregating for holidays, religious or civic ceremonies, or simply to chat about “ what was”. In the American Red Cross model currently in place in India, the community facilitator is in charge of mobilizing the community and has responsibilities that are similar to someone working in disaster preparedness or response. The difference is that the community facilitator brings together representatives of all segments of the community for understanding the community and to plan a project jointly. Planning, conducting, and evaluating a project leads to a more cohesive community with renewed skills for developing itself. Resilience enhancing projects provide a space for the individuals in a given community to organize themselves and to begin their life’s together in a new “place”. Planning resilience projects is a ‘futuristic activity’; it is proactive, sequential, and collaborative. Built upon set of core choices, it must include necessary details of timing, budget, and phasing. The meaningful participation of project beneficiaries in the assessment, planning, and implementation stages is essential for generating appropriate activities and a sense of ownership and increased likelihood of sustainability. Resilience enhancing projects are engaged in a cycle where the community assesses, formulates, and evaluates the participatory interventions, recognize community resources and establish a ‘sense of place’ for the survivors. The more a community takes charge of identifying its own resources (seeking indigenous solutions and engaging in solution-focused activities), the quicker is recovery and the achievement of psychosocial competence. Community risk reduction Risk reduction is an activity that will only be undertaken when the individuals that survived “root shock” have identified their new “place” or “community” and feel and ownership for that new “place”. In 2002 the IFRC identified community risk reduction as a major activity post disaster. The identify risk reduction as an interface between six streams: (1) disaster preparedness, (2) disaster response, (3) disaster recovery, (4) disaster mitigation, (5) development, and (6) adaptation to climate change. The more general term ‘disaster reduction’ and ‘disaster risk reduction is used to mean broad development and application of policies, strategies and practices to minimize vulnerabilities and disaster risks throughout society through prevention, mitigation and preparedness. Traditional disaster preparedness activities such as early warning and evacuation systems, stockpiling of relief, training of rapid response teams and preparation of response equipment definitely play a key role in helping the survivors to feel develop a sense of safety. From a psychological perspective this will only occur when people feel that they can come together a take care of it other. This is not a mechanical process of building, building and building. Psychosocial mobilization plays a key role. Summary This paper has presented a parallel continuum of human reconstruction after a traumatic life event such as a disaster. The root shock will take a long term to be resolved in the individual psyches of survivors. Humanitarian agencies must factor in the importance of focusing their reconstruction efforts of the community’s perception of its own development. Psychosocial support and community development are essential parts of the continuum and must each at its time make the necessary contribution so that the community may develop into a healthier, safer and more competent community.