Interviews on Disaster
The following interviews are both personal accounts of disaster experienced by survivors and service providers from various fields talking about their work with survivors. All interviews highlight the role of strength and resilience in survivor's journeys toward growth and healing.
Kathy (Survivor)
3/15/16 - In February 2009, Kathy's husband, Kevin, passed away in the crash of Flight 3407 outside of Buffalo, NY. Kathy shares her story of that particular night, as well as the subsequent unfolding of events with the airport's disaster response plan, American Red Cross and the airline CARE team. She reflects on her daughters' and her experience of prolonged waiting, dealing with the media, grief counseling, policy-involvement, bonding with other surviving families and obtaining her husband's identified remains. Kathy openly discusses her profound loss, as well as how she found community, safety and healing.
Keywords: Flight 3407 crash, death, grief and loss, coping, American Red Cross, airline CARE team
- Interview with Kathy
Tara (Provider)
5/5/16 - Tara Hughes, LCSW-R, is the American Red Cross Northeast Division disaster mental health advisor. In this podcast, she reflects on her experiences of helping people in the immediate aftermath of disaster as they start to process what happened and fit it into their view of self and the world. Tara discusses the immediacy and concreteness of the five trauma-informed care principles in light of emergencies and disasters.
Keywords: American Red Cross, mental health, immediate aftermath
- Interview with Tara