Picking up the Pieces: Disaster Intervention and Human Ecology

Abstract

Disasters and community life are intimately related. This paper focuses upon the relatively neglected problems of “picking up the pieces” after a disaster has struck. The aftermath includes problems associated with the provision of temporary shelter and survival needs, through the short-range rehabilitation of the community, and on to meeting the psychosocial needs of the survivors which may persist for months or years. Mental health workers should re-evaluate the type of resources they have available to offer disaster victims and the most effective means of utilizing their energies and skills. This paper also serves as the introduction to a symposium on the topic of disaster intervention and human ecology.