ABSTRACT
The second chapter – the beginning of the natural disasters section of the book – introduces the reader to the case studies that will be covered up to Chapter 8. Karla Vermeulen sensitively begins this section by highlighting the difference in recovery time between those who have experienced naturally occurring disasters and those who have undergone disasters which were the result of active malevolence. The perspective of the disaster mental health responder is interpreted throughout and importance placed on the requirement for responders to empathize and legitimize the experiences of the survivor regardless of the cause of the disaster. The reader is introduced to the authors of the ensuing chapters in this section of the book.
