In 2008, one of the worst disasters in the country’s history hit Burma. The disaster was popularly referred to as the Cyclone Nargis, which caused landfall in some parts of the country on Friday, May 2, 2008. In the disaster, property worth millions of dollars and human lives were lost. It was reported that at least 138000 lives were lost. In total, it was estimated that property worth $10 billion was lost. Such a disaster was last witnessed in 1975, in what was referred to as Typhoon Nina. In the disaster, I would prefer to execute the second action, which is related to safety and comfort. In this action, I would make sure that those in danger are taken to a safe place and be convinced not to think about their belongings left behind since they would find themselves in danger in case they go back for their things. Additionally, I would ensure that unaccompanied children are attended to since they might find themselves in danger in case they are left to move on their own. Moreover, those individuals who seem to be troubled by the demise of their loved ones or loss of property are to be attended to. They need to console and be informed that a disaster cannot be prevented since it occurs without anybody’s knowledge. They need to be supported emotionally and be encouraged that life will be normal even after the loss of their loved ones or their properties (Kar, 2009).
A natural disaster, as well as other traumatic circumstances, may perhaps lead to serious problems in an individual’s life if not controlled at an early stage. In this case, helping a victim of a disaster to embrace safety and feel comfortable may change things. After the occurrence of a disaster, an individual feels powerless and hopeless since he or she cannot assist his or her beloved one. In this scenario, an individual may take some measures that might put his or her life in great danger. Therefore, engaging an individual in a discussion about the disaster may make him or her feel helpful hence making him or her less vulnerable to risks and stress. The victim is helped to focus more on things that would make him or her composed, settled, and in control of his or her desires. Through this, anxiety, distress and despondency would be eliminated. Through a safety and comfort program, the victim would be advised to reschedule his or her life programs. For instance, in case the victim is a schoolchild, he or she should be advised on how to restructure his program to continue living a normal life. For other members of the family, they would be given tips on how to reorganize their mealtime. In other words, safety and comfort action is important because it would help the victims come up with ways through which they would be in a position to cope with the new challenges (Telles, 2009).
References
Kar, N. (2009). Natural disasters in developing countries: Mental health issues. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, 63(8), 327.
Telles, S. (2009). Risk of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in survivors of the Bihar Floods. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, 63(8), 330-34.