Week 1 Initial Post

When comparing “Letter on a Plague Year” to Disaster Archipelago it seems the immediate reactions after or during a crisis are of fear of the new uncertainty and anxiety over “what-ifs.” Although disasters could never be described as positive forces of change, they can serve a purpose, however. In the face of the inefficiency of government bureaucracies to adequately mobilize and manage disasters, community power begins to shine. While the survivors of these disasters lose any semblance of normalcy they also learn the kindness of neighbors and strangers that are able to band together to help each other survive. This newfound sense of community helps people retain hope. Both Katrina and 3/11 brought communities together to help rebuild in the aftermath.

Similar to Solnit’s description, survivor Seitaro Omori described how there was no traditional hierarchy or leadership in what to do, he was simply thrust into it’s place in helping other survivors hold on until rescue arrived. Both articles describe often times strangers coming together to provide affected communities with food and medical supplies or looking for an elderly man who was not seen to evacuate. Disasters had the inexplicable power of bringing people together to help each other survive the shared trauma. It helps both individual people realize how important their relationships between family members or friends are and governments realize how il-equipped they are to deal with large scale disasters. With life’s ephemeral nature pulled to the forefront, many people found new meaning in life through human connection rather than material possessions, whether it was reconnecting with childhood friends or finding purpose in relief work and activism.