ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out the psychological and emotional effects arising out of the survivors’ experiences and the influences of their culture and faith. Following reflection upon pre-existing health challenges, the chapter focuses on how survivors experienced traumas from their own injuries as well as from witnessing deaths and injuries of others, as they attempted to navigate the ensuing chaos and destruction in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. Survivors suffered varying degrees of injury to themselves as well as exposure to the death of children; to having no chance to say “Goodbye” to loved ones; to seeing and hearing the dying; to the smell of death; to worshipping amid the dying; and to the system of body disposal. All of these factors contributed to the stress with which survivors had to cope. The treatment of the dead is made a particular focus, since this sheds light on the extreme nature of the catastrophe and upon the severely vulnerable and disabled country Haiti is, due to its history and to the earthquake disaster.
