TERRORISM AS DISASTER: SELECTED COMMONALITIES AND LONG-TERM RECOVERY FOR 9/11 SURVIVORS

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to apply what social scientists have learned from decades of research on natural and technological disasters to better understand the short-term and potential long-term human impacts of the 9/11 attacks. The short-term response to the 9/11 attacks was similar to how people and communities typically respond to natural disasters. One year after the attacks, news reports suggest that factors identified in technological disaster research as causing collective trauma, rather than recovery, are beginning to surface. We identify three patterns typically present in (but not restricted to) the aftermath of technological disasters that contribute to slow recovery and ongoing collective trauma and evaluate the likelihood that these factors will impact the recovery process for those impacted by the 9/11 attacks. We conclude that due to perceptions of governmental failure, the likelihood of protracted litigation, and uncertainty regarding the mental and physical health of victims, the social and psychological impacts of the 9/11 attacks will likely be severe and long-term. As such, the concluding section recommends the implementation of a long-term clinical intervention program for mitigating these potential chronic impacts and facilitating the timely recovery of survivors.

Citation

Marshall, B.K., Picou, J.S. and Gill, D.A. (2003), "TERRORISM AS DISASTER: SELECTED COMMONALITIES AND LONG-TERM RECOVERY FOR 9/11 SURVIVORS", Clarke, L. (Ed.) Terrorism and Disaster: New Threats, New Ideas (Research in Social Problems and Public Policy, Vol. 11), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 73-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-1152(03)11006-X