Their Own Words: Resilience Among Haitian Survivors Of The 2010 Earthquakes

Survival and thriving are extraordinarily difficult for people who live in extreme environments. Natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes sometimes cause extreme environments to change, in spite of the fact that most extreme environments have always been this way. In addition to the aforementioned extreme environments, poverty and natural disturbances, can also qualify as extreme environments. Extreme conditions are especially deadly and leave residents vulnerable to the derogatory effects of residing in them. These ideas are very prevalent in the article “In their Own Words: Resilience among Haitian Survivors of the 2010 Earthquake” as they experienced trauma from the earthquake that occurred in 2010. In the article “In their own

Natural disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes sometimes cause extreme environments to change, in spite of the fact that most extreme environments have always been this way. In addition to the aforementioned extreme environments, poverty and natural disturbances, can also qualify as extreme environments. Extreme conditions are especially deadly and leave residents vulnerable to the derogatory effects of residing in them. These ideas are very prevalent in the article “In their Own Words: Resilience among Haitian Survivors of the 2010 Earthquake” as they experienced trauma from the earthquake that occurred in 2010. In the article “In their own words: Resilience among Haitian Survivors of the 2010 Earthquake '' by Guitele J. Rahill et al. a male community member states “I feel as if I now exist in a void…there is a woman who puts her baby inside a drawer in the dresser to keep her dry.” The male community member is experiencing what most Haitians are experiencing; trauma and pain, because of the earthquake. The example included mentioning a woman having to put her baby inside a drawer, succinctly demonstrates the lack of resources during extreme conditions. Without exercising resilience and adaptability, it is close to impossible for those who live in extreme conditions to

An example of climate catastrophes affecting people’s health is in California. Places such as California have experienced extreme heat in the past and present, and the heat has affected the health of inhabitants as well as other living creatures. Many vulnerable communities are unable to cope with the heat, leading to a greater risk of heat-related fatalities. An article by Michael T. Schmeltz states, “In the United States, from 2000 to 2010 there were approximately 28,000 recorded heat-related hospitalizations…an average of about 700 people died because of heat related illnesses..” To help ameliorate the fatalities, the state has been implementing safety task force programs. The same has taken place in Arizona, where the Annual Arizona Extreme Heat Planning workshop has been collaborating with nearby states experiencing extreme heat (Guyer). Those in workshops taking the initiative to help others clearly demonstrate resilience and adaptability. Through the process of conversing with representatives from other states, progress is being made; therefore lives are consequently saved. In addition to climate catastrophes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes are some of the most prominent types of natural