Chapter 7 - Crisis: Community and Large-Scale Events

6 Stages of Disaster Recovery

1. Pre-Crisis

2. Impact

3. Rescue

4. Recovery

5. Return to Life

6. Reconstruction

Stage 1: The Pre-Crisis Stage

• typically consists of some sort of warning or threat that the crisis is imminent.

• This stage may or may not be known to the individuals in crisis at the time but, instead, may only be obvious after the crisis has occurred. 

• typically include preparation and vigilance.

• preparation and mobilization. 

Stage 2: The Impact Stage

• when crisis occurs

• this stage may last from a few hours to a few days. 

• goal is based on survival

• provide basic needs to assist individuals with survival and communication.

Stage 3: The Rescue Stage

• individuals in the community begin the process of coming to terms with the crisis that has occurred

• typically lasts for a week or less and is marked by a sense of community cohesion

• people to adjust to the outcome of the crisis and begin the process of recovery.

• stage by assessing the needs of individuals and of the community and begin to work with available resources to try to meet those needs.

• can also begin to triage mental health needs, assessing those who are most immediately impacted by the event and securing mental health services for those individuals.

Stage 4: The Recovery Stage

• the work of recovering from the crisis event takes place.

• Planning for the future marks this phase, which can last for several weeks.

• may begin to present with mental health issues during this phase

• Crisis interventionists at this stage should be working to identify individuals who are having difficulty processing the experience and who may be developing inaccurate narratives of how the events unfolded.

• identifying and engaging with those people who may have an existing trauma history.

Stage 5: The Return to Life Stage

• members of the community are faced with the challenge of returning to “normal.” 

  • normal is a subjective term that is nearly impossible to define

  • normal is rarely possible after a crisis has occurred.

• we often refer to this process as returning to anew normal.

• acknowledges that the crisis happened, and that it had an impact.

• last for several months or even several years.

Stage 6: The Reconstruction Stage

• moved on to the new normal discussed previously.

• This stage is not without its challenges, as people may experience setbacks as they progress through the new normal, but these setbacks are typically brief

• Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG), emerging research suggests that individuals can grow and becoming stronger, healthier, and better functioning as a result of successfully processing a traumatic event 

Natural Disasters

disaster is defined as “a situation or event which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to a national or international level for external assistance; an unforeseen and often sudden event that causes great damage, destruction; and human suffering”

Domestic Terrorism

in the United States as those acts that violate federal or state law, are intended to coerce civilians or influence government, and occur primarily within the jurisdiction of the United States.

International Terrorism

meets the first two criteria of domestic terrorism but occur primarily outside the jurisdiction of the United States 

Mass Shootings

• a mass killing as an event where three or more people are killed in a single event 

• crisis interventionists must understand how these events unfold and how best to intervene following a mass shooting or killing event.

• an active shooter is someone who is killing or trying to kill people in a populated area 

• These events are certain to impact the psychological well-being of those who are wounded, who witness the violence, or who are otherwise associated with a mass shooting. 

Hostage Situations

• a lay term and refers to the detention of an individual, against their will and without legal authority, for a particular motive

• as a means to a political end or for the purpose of extorting ransoms from families or governments