The psychosocial process of adjusting to natural disasters.

In the short time between September 22, 1989, and October 17, 1989, two of the costliest natural disasters in the history of the United States occurred. By spending time in the shelters of two small communities, one in each disaster, it was possible to interview many victims and relief workers. This information was added to archival data collected from each disaster. People's reactions to the two disasters were compared and the effect of the community's history and politics on people's reactions was determined. The information revealed a phased response on the part of victims and relief workers. The report outlines a four-phased response. The interactions between the victims and the relief workers in the first three phases illustrate how the psychological needs of one group contributed to the difficulties of the other group. Although there were differences between the reactions to the two disasters, this destructive interaction between the two groups was an overriding finding in this study. Several policy recommendations are made, most of them in the areas of education of relief personnel