Tsunami Survivor Research Articles

The signature of the disaster: Witness‐ness in death camp and tsunami survivor testimony

AbstractThe prominence of witness testimony in a range of contemporary political events is reflected in interdisciplinary efforts to theorise the act and genre of witnessing. Notably, this literature has framed the occurrence of errors, contradictions, and other instances of "problematic" speech in testimony as attesting to the traumatic quality of disastrous events. In this paper we extend this line of reasoning by recasting the fundamental quality or "witness‐ness" of disaster survivor testimony outside a logic of representational correspondence. Instead, drawing on the philosophy of Maurice Blanchot, we suggest that the disorienting features of testimony can be interpreted as the disruptive influence or inscription of the disaster itself on the recollections of survivors; a certain "writing of the disaster." Furthermore, we suggest that different disasters disrupt the testimonies of its survivors in unique ways, thus imprinting a signature that betrays the material and psychological character of the event. The "witness‐ness" of survivor testimony is therefore argued to dwell not in its representational accuracy, but in the distinctive, signature ways that it disorients the search for a coherent accounting of the disaster. We explore this proposition first in relation to Nazi death camp survivor testimony, before exploring this approach in the very different testimonial context of the 2011 tsunami in Tohoku, Japan. In the wake of these readings, we argue that the concept of the signature has potential not only for broadening the repertoire of testimonies admissible in the study of disaster, but also for investigating the societal impacts and "countersignatures" of disasters more generally.

A Tsunami-Related Life History of Survivors in Banda Aceh, Indonesia and Sendai, Japan

In tsunami risk-reduction programs the survivors’ life history provides first-hand information about how they responded during and after a catastrophe. However, knowledge of tsunami-related experiences is not always systematically managed and institutionally communicated across generations. Some risk reduction programs lack of informed knowledge of tsunami-related experiences and consequently tend to be insensitive towards survivors’ life history. The aim of this paper is to examine how tsunami survivors constructed their tsunami-related knowledge and collective memories, taking the cases of Banda Aceh, Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami and Sendai, Japan after the 2011 tsunami. This paper, in particular, seeks to explore how the survivors’ experience helped to institutionalize their tsunami-related knowledge in a transferrable risk-reduction consciousness. Using first-hand interviews as well as interview recordings which were accessible online, this paper argues that in both cases of tsunami survivor cohorts, knowledge of tsunami-related experience was constructed through survival strategies and recovery processes in the aftermath of the events. Knowledge of survival strategies was constructed over time; and the longer period from the time of event, the more tacit the knowledge was. The process of knowledge construction was systematic in the Sendai case but was vernacular in the Banda Aceh case. However, in both cases the need for more engaged institutional communication between the government agencies and the people was evident.

A Case of Mycotic Aneurysm of the Abdominal Aorta Caused by <i>Aspergillus fumigatus </i>in a Tsunami Survivor After the East Japan Great Earthquake

A Case of Mycotic Aneurysm of the Abdominal Aorta Caused by <i>Aspergillus fumigatus </i>in a Tsunami Survivor After the East Japan Great Earthquake

The Participation of Women in Politics Has Become Major Challenge for Gender Equality in Albania After the "90 of the Twentieth Century

The purpose of this paper is to expose the importance of women's participation and Albanian women in the political sphere. The paper is focused specifically in the role played by women in political life and how are they involved in this sector. Policy has been a totally male field, where political positions are held by men, even in the most part, only those running for such positions. Girls and women are considered as very fragile, clean and too naive to be tainted by dirty politics. The role of Albanian girls and women in politics is more supportive for a male candidate whom she has relatives. Girls and women leaders have attacked many social opinions. Even successful girls and women seem to prey on agency rumors. More importantly girls and women are more attacked, slandered more, and more prejudiced. Mentality and opinion tends not to attribute its success to their abilities, but always seek to find what they say behind this success. It looks like the girls and women who are able to get ahead are viewed by social tsunami survivor, always viewed with a skeptical eye type, which fails to recognize that women are just as capable as the men. When girls and women emerge d from their traditional positions they became the center of attention to be attacked by others.

Primary cutaneous cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus gattii VGII in a tsunami survivor from Thailand

Skin and soft tissue fungal infections with Apophysomyces elegans, Fusarium solani, Cladophialophora bantiana have been reported in survivors from 2004 Indian ocean Tsunami. We report the first case of primary cutaneous cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus gattii VGII in a Tsunami survivor from Thailand.

Atypical Fungal Vertebral Osteomyelitis in a Tsunami Survivor of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Case report. We report a rare case of fungal vertebral osteomyelitis in a tsunami survivor of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Fungal vertebral osteomyelitis due to Scedosporium apiospermum (S. apiospermum) is extremely rare. We describe the case of a 45-year-old male who developed vertebral osteomyelitis by S. apiospermum 1 month after near drowning in the huge tsunami after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The patient was treated with a combination of percutaneous posterolateral endoscopic debridement and antifungal therapy. The case was evaluated with radiography and computed tomography, and his white blood cell count and C-reactive protein level in serum were measured 20 months after initiation of treatment. The patient had no low back pain and both white blood cell count and C-reactive protein had remained normal. Radiographs and computed tomography of lumbar spine demonstrated sclerotic change of endplates and spur formation bridging the L3 and L4 vertebral bodies. We report a rare case of the fungal vertebral osteomyelitis caused by S. apiospermum. If a patient develops severe back pain after a near-drowning episode in dirty water such as a swamp or a river, the clinician should be suspicious of the possibility of fungal spondylitis by S. apiospermum.

An unusual case of pleural empyema in a tsunami survivor

A 74-year-old man who survived the tsunami after the Great East Japan Earthquake, was admitted to our department because of respiratory distress. He developed aspiration pneumonia and pleural empyema of the right thorax. Decortication was performed by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. An unsuspected aspirated pine tree branch and pulmonary pleural fistula were discovered. The branch was removed, the pleural fistula was opened for drainage of the intrapulmonary abscess, and the patient made a good recovery.

Nocardia spp. wound infection in a tsunami survivor from Thailand, 2004

We report a case of post-traumatic wound infection in a tsunami survivor from Thailand, due to Nocardia spp. According to 16S rRNA sequencing results, this isolate could represent a new pathogen species of the genus Nocardia. The strain was highly resistant to usual regimens. Successful outcome occurred after surgery and combined therapy including linezolid, that appears in our experience to be a suitable alternative for the treatment of nocardiosis. Our report also raises attention about the possibility for microbiologists to face with unusual organisms, when infection occurs in exceptional environmental conditions, such as natural disasters.

EMDR After a Critical Incident: Treatment of a Tsunami Survivor With Acute Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Research indicates that EMDR is effective for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with numerous studies showing a high percentage of symptom remission after 3 sessions. The case of a tsunami survivor with acute PTSD is presented. Treatment for overt trauma symptoms was completed within 3 sessions, including all 8 phases and the 3-pronged protocol (i.e., past, present, future targets). One EMDR session was sufficient to process the trauma and alleviate the related symptoms, while another session was necessary for re-evaluation and processing present triggers and future templates. Resource installation was particularly helpful to prepare him for those future situations that had been generating anxiety as a result of his traumatization.

Necrotizing Fasciitis Caused by Apophysomyces elegans Complicating Soft-Tissue and Pelvic Injuries in a Tsunami Survivor from Thailand

Necrotizing Fasciitis Caused by Apophysomyces elegans Complicating Soft-Tissue and Pelvic Injuries in a Tsunami Survivor from Thailand

Multifocal cutaneous mucormycosis complicating polymicrobial wound infections in a tsunami survivor from Sri Lanka

A man injured in the tsunami of Dec 26, 2004, returned to Sydney for management of his soft-tissue injuries. Despite broad-spectrum antibiotics, surgical wound debridement, and vigilant wound care, his condition worsened. Muscle and fat necrosis developed in a previously debrided thigh wound, and necrotising lesions arose from previous abrasions. Histological analysis showed mucormycosis in three non-contiguous sites, and Apophysomyces elegans was isolated from excised wound tissue. Wound infections, both bacterial and fungal, will undoubtedly add to the morbidity and mortality already recorded in tsunami-affected areas. Other cases [correction] of cutaneous mucormycosis might develop in survivors, but this disease can be difficult to diagnose and even harder to treat, particularly in those remaining in affected regions.