This RAPID project addresses critical questions of how people respond to disasters and subsequent relief efforts. Disasters strike unexpectedly, anywhere in the world, and are not possible to avoid. The study of disasters in one part of the world contributes to understanding how they unfold and how people respond to them elsewhere because of the broad similarities they share. Although disaster research has grown considerably, there is still much to learn by collecting information quickly and efficiently, before it is lost. For example, does access to resources or resourcefulness play a great role in disaster resiliency? This project will provide information of great value that will guide future response to disasters of all types in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Steven J. Folmar of Wake Forest University will explore disaster response and mental-health resiliency in Nepal following the April 25 and subsequent earthquakes. The main goal of this project is to determine how disaster victims respond to crises, tracing the pathways by which some people experience emotional trauma while others demonstrate resilience. The investigator will conduct research on people from different sectors of society, in urban and rural communities in Lamjung District, Nepal that have experienced varying degrees of destruction caused by the April earthquake. The investigator will collect data from 1) direct observation of relief efforts, 2) interviewing 100 individuals recounting their earthquake and post-disaster experience, and 3) surveying mental health status among 300 youth and comparing current measures of their mental health with measures taken from them during a previous study. Since, with the passing of time, critical data on how disaster recovery is experienced by victims are lost, it is imperative to gather data as soon as feasible. Regarding intellectual merit, collecting empirical information during, not after, the period of recovery equips the investigator to develop theory that directly reflects first-hand information from survivors, which is rare in disaster research. In terms of broader societal impacts, results from this project will help inform global disaster relief efforts, enhance the resilience of survivors and contribute to the development of much-needed mental health response efforts through the sharing of findings with NGOs and the Government of Nepal at the time they are needed most. Lastly, it will provide training for researchers to conduct similar studies.
