The Psychological Effects of the Disaster

[Anonymous]

I teach a Geography course at my school, and last year after the earthquake I changed my curriculum pacing to cover Japan almost immediately after the earthquake. Students created podcasts and brainstormed ways in which they could help survivors of the tsunami and earthquake. It was amzaing to see how resourceful and caring for a country so far away.

[Anonymous]

Rose states, "The before-and-after juxtaposition shows that from destruction springs resilience."
I think so often we focus on the tremendous devastation and ask why it happened. I am finding myself directing my students and their energy to addressing the "what now?" We are currently studying WWII and the Holocaust, but in all of these situations, people's integrity and resilience are put to the test. My students are beginning to think about what the long-term implications are of natural disasters and genocide and war, and they are inferring what the next steps might be to ensure that things like these are not so catastrophic or educating others on the prevention of such neglect and indifference.
It gives me hope that I am, in some small way, influencing the next generation in a positive way that will make a difference in the world.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I wanted for this entry to focus on the psychological effects that the tsunami and earthquake had on the people of Japan. I found two stories that I felt would be of interest to me and to you. Before I do that, here is a link on NPR that has a picture show that has pictures at the time of the disaster and one year after. It is fascinating.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2012/03/07/148170201/before-and-after-japans-wreckage-and-recovery

As teachers we see how resilient our students can be when confronted by tragedy. Japanese children are still struggling with what happened last year. Their coping skills are not as developed as adults, so they are having a hard time coming to terms with the reality of happened one year ago. Teachers at the Imagine Japan school an English-language school in the Miyagi Prefecture of Sendai City have commented on the fact that the kids color in black, were as before they had used colors and they incorporate the earthquake in their games and even more disconcerting they are more aggressive and louder than they were a year ago. The children role-play as if the tsunami is returning. "They are sitting and playing with dolls or something, and somebody says, 'Tsunami coming, we have to go!' And they move to another place and start playing again," said teacher Akiko Kobayashi.

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/09/148304286/for-kids-in-japan-adjusting-to-a-changed-world

Another interesting reaction I found to the devastation in Japan is Naoto Matsumura who is the only person who remains in Tomioka, a city 8 miles from from Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant well within the 13-mile exclusion zone. With no running water or electricity it is hard to imagine why he still remains there with his zoo of 7 dogs, 60 cats and one ostrich, the sole survivor of an ostrich farm. He drives around in his truck and looks for other animals to care for. It seems he has a hard time accepting the reality of his situation. The tsunami and earthquake has destroyed his old life and at this point he still has not let go and began anew. I think it is important to note that the tsunami and earthquake unleashed more than a physical disaster on Japan, it unleashed a psychological disaster.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/9122258/Japan-tsunami-anniversary-The-man-and-his-menagerie-left-behind-in-Fukushima.html

[Anonymous]

These are very moving images. I will share them with my students. It's hard to fathom the impact of such things, but this helps.

[Author]

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