Rubric: Total of 20 points: Criterion Quality of the content and material used Total Points 5 Description Quality, richness of research and content. For example, did you rely on good quality source material? How thoroughly did you research this topic? Synthesis of Narrative & Research 5 How clearly do provide background, context, and outline the research that has been done on this topic/source material and what conclusions have been drawn? Articulate what you have found in a succinct and clear way. Quality of your own analysis in Discussion & Conclusions 5 What can you bring to the table? What observations can you make based on your understanding of the subject? Format & Structure of the paper 2 Is this paper clear, concise, and carefully organized? Grammar 2 Grammar is very important for your writing. If you are unsure, please have others review and edit your work. References & APA – format, citations 1 This includes citations & references and whether they are cited properly (APA style). Running head: SURVIVING DISASTERS Surviving Disasters and Community Traumas 1 SURVIVING DISASTERS 2 Introduction Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) got discovered first in 1976, and the cases that got reported were mostly in the Central part of Africa. Congo-Zaire is the first country that was reported to have a case; later on, another case got reported in Sudan in the south, which is currently known as South Sudan. The most recent outbreak of the deadly EVD disease got reported between 2014 and 2016 has since been spreading leaving dead bodies in its wake (Elmahdawy, Elsisi, Carapinha, Lamorde, Habib, Agyie-Baffour, & Usifoh, 2017). There are several stories of men and women who have survived the epidemic even though the disease has been known to kill the victims within a short period. The purpose of this paper is to describe the disaster and its effects in the community, and it will be describing the stories of six survivors both civilians and medical practitioners in West Africa from two nations which are Sierra Leon and Liberia. Background EVD outbreak between 2014 and 2016 was the scariest event and disaster that struck the world because it affected both the local and international community. Sierra Leon and Liberia were the two West African nations that got worst hit by the outbreak which lead to hundreds of deaths and alarm in the region and the world at large (Richards, Baker, & Amin, 2018). The effects of EVD are catastrophic and far-reaching both to West Africa and the world at large. Nations affected were Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leon and their economic and social lives were hard hit (Elmahdawy et al., 2017). Areas that were affected got quarantined, which slowed down the transportation of goods, leading to a rise in the cost of goods and services. Several schools in the regions that were affected got closed down, and education got paralyzed. The worst impact was the loss of life, which left many families without fathers or mothers or even children. Those that pulled through the situation suffered and still suffer trauma and mental illness as a result of the effects and consequences of the outbreak. Neighboring countries closed some of their borders and the airports around the world got strict regulations and checks for people coming from the danger zones (Davtyan, Brown, & Folayan, 2014). Africa was left in a state of panic and fear as the spread of the disease threatened the small and larger economies. Methodology The research has utilized case studies, research papers, journals, videos and recorded testimonies of interviews related to the case. There are several keywords that the study has utilized, which are as follows, Ebola, Outbreak, Survivors, Testimonies, Impacts and Epidemic. The stories from survivors got compiled by various sources like YouTube and WHO website, which has covered all the events. The research materials like the case studies, research papers and journals were got from the library and on the internet. Discussion and Findings In this study, six stories of survivors of the outbreak have been utilized and explained in terms of the interpretation of the stories, their impact, themes, common reactions and their experiences. Abdullah D from Guinea, Fatimata Gaima from Sierra Leon, Harrison Sakila from Liberia, Saah Tamba from Liberia, Philip Ireland from Liberia and Adiatu Pujeh from Sierra SURVIVING DISASTERS 3 Leon are the survivors that shared their stories. Community plays a critical role in the healing and survival of the victims of any disease. The victims and the people that got affected have all attributed family support towards their healing and recovery. For example, Dr. Philip Ireland, in his words in the interview, claimed that the compassion of the nurse and his mother that took care of him gave him much strength to pull through WHO. (2015). In other cases, medics that survived attest to the fact that EVD was more than anything they had ever encountered, and they had no preparation for the same whatsoever. “Before the Ebola virus arrived in Sierra Leone, hospital nurse Adiatu Pujeh thought malaria was the most challenging disease they faced.” The words of Nurse Adiatu Pujeh from Sierra Leon. Survivors that were not medics faced one common enemy from the community, which was fear; it was the fear that caused doubts in their family members and the community about their health or recovery. Most of the victims got stigmatized and most as a result of that despite recovering and getting healed got mental problems like depression. The fear of many survivors has been discrimination and stigmatization by the community and even their families who still doubt if they got better or were telling lies. According to the research done by Yadav and Rawal (2015), most victims in Guinea, Sierra Leon and Liberia have suffered depression and anxiety because of the community and other effects of the disease. Most families have got left with orphans and widows/widowers, and the breadwinners snatched away from them by the deadly disease. Relationships got devastated by the outbreak leaving friends distant and families isolating their loved ones (Davtyan, Brown, & Folayan, 2014). Most of the stories, if the survivors show fear and doubt from the community, in most cases, friends, have been avoiding the victims stretching the level of loneliness. In such cases of outbreaks and diseases that are strange and hard to explain leave alone get the cure and the vaccine, victims not only suffer the physical torture of isolation and abandonment by their loved ones but also the threat of psychological health that looms over their heads. Buseh, Stevens, Bromberg and Kelber (2015), those who survived had the disease detected at an early stage and appropriate measures and care given them on time. Almost all the survivors were glad to have escaped death by the deadly virus while the rest were not sure where they would go back to because of the attitude and perception of the community. Conclusion Whenever someone gets struck by something they cannot understand or get the cure or some disease that the whole world dreads their first reaction is that there is nothing they can hope. However, with the emerging cases of survival, many people begin to grow some hope and start to believe that surviving the epidemic is possible. Dr. Ireland got support from the mother and a lot of care from the nurse something that gave him hope for survival. As a result of that, he made it through and survived the nightmare. Being a doctor, he must have had a lot about the disease and maybe was aware that it had no way out. However, the support and care he got contributed a lot to his wellbeing. A lesson people can learn from this is that family and proper care helps heal the mind, which leads to the wellbeing of the rest of the body. SURVIVING DISASTERS 4 References Buseh, A. G., Stevens, P. E., Bromberg, M., & Kelber, S. T. (2015). The Ebola epidemic in West Africa: Challenges, opportunities, and policy priority areas. Nursing Outlook, 63(1), 3040. Elmahdawy, M., Elsisi, G. H., Carapinha, J., Lamorde, M., Habib, A., Agyie-Baffour, P. … & Usifoh, S. (2017). Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa: global health economic challenges, lessons learned, and policy recommendations. Value in health regional issues, 13, 67-70. Davtyan, M., Brown, B., & Folayan, M. O. (2014). Addressing Ebola-related stigma: lessons learned from HIV/AIDS. Global health action, 7(1), 26058. Richards, G. A., Baker, T., & Amin, P. (2018). Ebola virus disease: Report from the task force on tropical diseases by the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine. Journal of critical care, 43, 352-355. WHO. (2015). Health worker Ebola infections in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone: A Preliminary Report 21 May 2015. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/hrh/documents/21may2015_web_final.pdf Yadav, S., & Rawal, G. (2015). The Current Mental Health Status of Ebola Survivors in Western Africa. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR, 9(10), LA01–LA2. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2015/15127.6559 Survivor Narrative: Surviving Disaster and Critical Incidents Description: By this point in the class, you will have learned about disasters that have affected communities around the world. This assignment presents an opportunity to learn more about the experiences of Survivors and to consider what variables may have impacted that experience. Note: This should not be a narrative of your personal experience with a disaster, though you may refer to your own experience very briefly in the context of the paper if it illuminates the narrative you are sharing in a substantial way Steps to completing the assignment: Step one Decide on a particular disaster event (through research, experience, or something you’ve heard about in class or through the media). This event cannot have taken place more than 20 years ago. Step two Gain some understanding (through some nominal research) about this precise event. You might delve a little further into how events like this one impact people more generally (e.g. is it an Earthquake? A Tsunami? A terrorist incident? A plane crash?). Each type of event can have different consequences. Keep in mind that every event is unique and every individual experience is unique, though some patterns do exist when looked at the population-level. Step three Utilize web and scholarly research to identify articles, videos, radio broadcasts, interviews, etc. to learn about the event and hear survivor stories. Spend at least 3 hours viewing, taking notes, and gathering information. You should not be relying only on print text. You may not use Amanda Ripley’s book The Unthinkable as a source. Step four Think about the story the survivor is telling and drawing from lectures on Common Reactions to Trauma and the two chapters in your textbook devoted to the subject, try to identify the expressed needs and/or outcomes of individual stories. You may zero in on one or two stories, as it might not be easy to find survivor stories or interviews. But you need to listen to or watch at least one. Take notes. 1) What makes those experiences & reactions generalizable (as commonly seen reactions), and 2) and also unique (based on that person’s own history, risk factors, or whatever you can actually glean from the story). Try not to project your own fears or your own experiences onto that of the survivor. In fact, aside from minor reflective comments, try to keep all your focus on the understanding of the survivor experience for that event. Step five Look through your notes and/or listen to the story again. Take note of emergent themes that are raised in the conversation, i.e., the emotional reactions given the nature of the event (positive? negative?); coping styles or strategies; emotional changes over time; access to resources; financial burdens; bereavement or loss; etc. and take note of how and when these themes come up. Use these themes to provide structure to the Discussion portion of your paper. What can you bring to this situation and analysis? What have you learned so far in the course to inform your view of this individual’s narrative? Structure of the Paper: Introduction Background Methodology Discussion Conclusions Introduce your paper: the disaster you are writing about, the survivor story you are going to tell, and the overarching lessons learned that you want to introduce Briefly describe the event (or kind of event) and its typical impacts on the quality of life (including emotional state) of individuals and/or communities. Do not let this section dominate your paper. Simply state what methods you undertook to further understand the event, and how & where you found specific Survivor stories. Where did you get your research material? What key words did you use, etc. This is the meat of your paper and your opportunity to shine. Provide your interpretation of the survivor’s story. It is okay to include direct quotes from the individual as long as you introduce them. It is also appropriate to include body language or tone of voice. Be selective with your material by only including information that best illustrates this person’s experience. Indicate any themes you identified. Compare these to Common Reactions and make some linkages between some of the things we have covered in class or was covered in your reading. Make an attempt to explain and distill the survivor’s experience and reactions. This is your grand finale. Conclude with what you have discovered about the impact of this kind of event on a single individual, but also what makes this person’s reaction unique to them. What key points can we learn from this person’s story? Important Notes: Writing Style: Remember to keep your writing clear and concise. Eliminate anything that is superfluous to the story you are focusing on. PLEASE seek out assistance or proofreading help if you don’t think your grammar or writing is strong. Format: This paper must be written in Times New Roman, 12 point font, single spaced, & 2-3 pages, not including any references you might have. References: Include each and every reference you used, including YouTube videos and media clips. Be sure to include a minimum of 5 references and sources. Use APA Style to write references.