Evaluation of 9/11
The September 11 2001 attacks and the Hurricane Katrina disaster have been among the world’s deadliest disasters that the human population has experienced in the last century. These disasters have been grave in the sense that their impact has had tremendous negative effects on not only the affected population but also the entire world. Their impact ranges from thousands of deaths to destruction of billions worth of property; from long-lived psychological and health complications to strained political relations between states. The two disasters are both natural and man-made disasters. Political and geographical reasons/ explanations have thus been used to describe/ explain the causes of the disasters. This paper will evaluate the psychological impact of each disaster on those affected, the manner in which various state and non-state agencies handled these impacts and the role played by the media in the recovery from psychological trauma for the victims.
Summary of the September 11 2001 attacks and the Hurricane Katrina disaster
This was a man-made calamity on September 11, 2001 in which terror attacks occurred on the soil of the United States of America. These attacks were a series of well-planned and co-ordinated attacks that were directed by the Islamist terrorist group-the Al Qaeda on the United States Government. They were launched in New York City and the Washington D.C on the 11th day of September 2001 (Robert A. (2005). The Al Qaeda planned the entire disaster by hijacking four passenger airliners two of which crashed in the World Trade Centre Complex in New York City.
A third plane crashed in the Pentagon (United States Department of Defense) and a fourth plane targeted at Washington D.C crashing in a field after a futile attempt. (Robert A. (2005). The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks had a terrible impact resulting in the deaths of 19 hijackers and 2,977 victims. It is estimated that 55 military personnel also perished from the Pentagon attacks with majority of the victims being civilians. The deaths resulted from the impacts of the crash, smoke inhalation and panic falls from the tall towers to evade the billowing smoke and flames. In addition, it was impossible for most of those around the towers to escape to safer grounds thus perishing alongside.
The damages caused estimated to be worth millions of US dollars. These included the twin towers and other buildings surrounding it such as St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church , the Deutsche Bank Building, and the Marriott Hotel alongside others. In addition, the Pentagon building which housed the United States Department of Defense was terribly damaged. This was a huge blow to the United States’ economy. (James 2002). In addition, numerous health repercussions have arisen from the attacks with a number of victims succumbing to the extremely toxic air pollution caused by the smoke and dust. A number of health complications have also been witnessed alongside the psychological impacts on the surviving victims, their friends and relatives.
