AUTHOR S AFTERTHOUGHTS

AUTHOR'S AFTERTHOUGHTS

I was born in the middle of a 7.1 earthquake and so have always felt that I had some proprietary ownership of disaster in general. I managed in a variety of professional and personal roles during earthquakes, floods, range fires, tornadoes, typhoons, winter storms, and volcanic eruptions. I lived 35 miles away from Mt. St. Helens when she blew her top the first time. I live near a river that is wild and floods on a fairly regular basis. I live in the shadow of a nuclear site and a chemical weapons depot that are only a few miles from my front door. I experienced direct assault as an act of terrorism when I was in Asia in the 1971. A military guard set vicious guard dogs on me as we walked on a public beach . The soldiers were amused as the dogs bit through my boots. Later that same year I saw the aftermath of a plane that had been used as a weapon to fly into the home of a national leader. That one didn't ever make the news.

When my daughter died unexpectedly, followed within a couple of weeks by the sudden death of my mother, I was sure that I had more knowledge than many about surviving duress and disaster. I went back to work but how I managed those days was not the same as before. When I went to work as a trauma counselor directly following the attacks of September 11, 2001, I experienced more than anticipated. The dynamics and complications associated with disaster and terrorism were beyond even my amazing imagination . But I had my first trauma flashback as I recalled the horrifying day I was notified of my daughter's death, which was also on a September 11 ^th .

I was a well-trained professional with depth experiences in trauma management, disaster, Critical Incident Stress Management, Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Services, Psychotraumatology, advanced degrees and lots of direct experience and I got to feel more and learn more! My learning curve for disasters includes knowing without a shadow of a doubt the following truths:

• Disasters are sacred, because they hold places for miracles

• Disasters are scary, because they are bigger than me

• You can never learn enough to know everything to be perfectly prepared

• You cannot really prepare for the unimaginable

• You cannot control disasters, but you can manage the aftermath

• Most Disasters are natural

• Unnatural disasters create the exact same emotions as natural disasters

• Disasters are only truly disastrous if you have no meaning in your life

• Disasters are completely unpredictable

• People are completely unpredictable

• Life is amazing and fun and divine and odd and scary and miraculous and messy and painful and silly and wonderful and short, and disasters are part of life

• I have a lot more to learn about disasters, and management, so stay tuned .