Introduction

Hello! Welcome to our website on the topic of resilience after experiencing a disaster. We are a group of motivated students at the University of Washington Bothell and at Tokyo Medical and Dental University who have worked together to build this website to include some useful information on the topic of resilience during and after a disaster for individuals who have experienced a natural or a man-made disaster. We have shared some of our own personal stories, and we have some tips to help you rebuild and grow from adversity, and to overcome challenging situations.

In this site, you can find information and insight on thed definition of resilience, the prevelance of disasters, the 10 resilience factors, and culture as related to resilience.

Josh

Hello! I am Josh. I am a fully licensed Registered Nurse in Seattle, WA. I work at Harborview Medical Center on the Acute Burns, Plastics, and Pediatric Trauma unit. I identify as a half-Jewish cis-gender, straight man. I don't identify strongly with being "American," but I do identify strongly with being a "Pacific Northwesterner," also, in some circles, referred to as "Cascadian." I was born and raised in Seattle, and though I've lived all over the United States I have always identified most with the Pacific Northwest (Washington State, Oregon, Southern British Columbia, and Northern Idaho).

I am deeply interested in Disasters and resiliency after disaster. At my work at Harborview in Seattle I see a lot of different types of trauma, including mass injury events. This kind of shared suffering and trauma is not discussed often, in my opinion. There is a false belief that recovery happens alone. So I am passionate about providing help to those to have experienced group trauma.

Rebekah

Howdy!, I am Rebekah and I have been a medical/surgical nurse at a small community hospital for about 2.5 years. Prior to that I was a Hospital Corpsman, a medical assistant, dialysis technician, and a CNA. I've been in the medical field in some capacity since 2007. My culture for me is my status as a Veteran of the US Navy. I belonged to one of the oldest and most decorated fields and it started my journey into medicine. I am originally from Texas and am a transplant to the Pacific Northwest.

My interest in disaster stems from growing up with "hurricane season", having family on the tip of "Tornado Alley" and moving to the PNW that has earthquakes, landslides, and the risk for tsunamis. I've had family impacted by Hurricane Katrina and lived through tornados and seeing them rebuild and demonstrate resiliency in the face of it is very impactful.

Sol

I am Sol and was born in Seattle. My pronouns are any. I am currently working as a nurse in what is usually an orthopedic unit, which means an emphasis on heavy lifting and pain management. Currently it's more diverse due to the pandemic and need for beds. I am interested in mental health and labor and delivery but because I am a new nurse I want to work a few more years before specializing and possibly getting an advanced degree. My family immigrated here from Central America before I was born. I am the youngest of 10 siblings.

I'm interested in disaster because it has the potential to create unique trauma that is simultaneously personal and communal, and often deprives the individual of the resources they would normally rely on during crisis. Disaster can encompass many other categories of crisis and trauma, so it is a useful way to look at coping mechanisms in general. I believe resilience during a natural disaster is strengthened through social ties and community involvement.

Crista

My name is Crista and I prefer the she/her/hers pronouns. I was born and raised in the Seattle area. I consider myself to be white/American, even though my family is European. I graduated from my RN program in August 2019. I am currently working in outpatient oncology. I have been doing care coordination and working as an infusion nurse since I graduated. I just accepted a position at a hospital on a general post op floor because I am hoping to expand my nursing skills. I attached a picture of me from when I graduated from my Associates Degree program.

One of the reasons that I became interested in disasters is that I was working as an emergency department technician when the Oso Landslide occurred in 2014. I was on shift at a hospital where some of the survivors were treated.

Helen

My name is Helen. I was born in China and moved to the United States in 2005. I just graduated from ADN program in April 2020. I currently work in Fairfax Health Behavioral hospital in Kirkland as a psychiatric nurse, which means I must deal with psychotic patients every day. Sometimes, the job is extremely challenging, but it is very rewarding. I probably will continue my nursing education to obtain an advanced nursing degree.

My interest in disasters because I saw a lot of flood in my childhood in the area I lived in. The flood did not really cause the loss of life but resulted in a lot of economic damage. People in the community often bond together and rebuild their homes. The resilience during and after natural disasters is reinforced through interaction between community members.

Yasmin

My name is Yasaman Chaeichi. I prefer to go by Yasmin. My last name is pronounced Chaa-ee-chee. My pronouns are she/her/hers.

I have been a nurse for over two years. I started my nursing career working inpatient at a cardio-thoracic surgery telemetry unit. I then transitioned into my current role, working as a cardiology nurse coordinator and an echocardiogram lab nurse. In my current role, I work closely with patients in the cardiology clinic setting, providing patient education and helping manage and coordinate their care in an ambulatory setting. In the echo lab, I help with procedures such as transthoracic echocardiograms and treadmill stress echocardiograms.

I would say that I identify as an Iranian Canadian. I spent the beginning of my life in Iran. I then moved to Canada with my family when I was in elementary school. To this day, I have spent most of my life in Canada, and my values are most aligned with the Canadian culture. I do, however, still celebrate some of the traditions of the Iranian culture.

Last summer, my partner and I spent much of our free time hiking. It helped me to both stay active and to enjoy being outdoors. This is a picture of me with our dog, Primo, after having climbed mount Constitution in Orcas Island.

Roselyn

Hello, my name is Roselyn De Jesus. I go with Roselyn. My gender pronouns are she, her, hers. I have been a nurse for more than 10 years. I was inspired to be a nurse for the adult population when I became a volunteer in a nursing home because of a class in a community college. I have served as a primary care nurse, charge nurse, unit manager, MDS coordinator, assisted living nurse liaison, in patient staff nurse in a spinal cord injury center, and now a telehealth nurse coordinator in the same spinal cord injury center. I am a Filipino and grew up in the Philippines but immigrated to Seattle, Washington 17 years ago. I consider both Philippines and Washington my home. I chose the picture above (I am the one in red and grey stripes) to share because I really want to see my whole family to get together again. This picture was taken years ago when one of my sisters visited me and my parents in Seattle. Currently, my immediate family members are residing in three countries. We had planned to get together last year but because of the pandemic, it did not happen. I am not sure why we are scattered like that as if we are practicing social distancing!

Michelle

My name is Michelle. She/her. I am finishing up my BSN at UW Bothell after working as a nurse for the past 11 years. My focuses are in oncology and wound/ostomy care. I feel like I belong to the dog mom culture! Also, I consider myself part of the outdoorsy pacific northwest born and raised culture.

Here is my husband and I on our boat out at Blake Island last summer, and then a photo of our two salty sea dogs, Moose and Grizzly They are not the best boaters but they are learning;).

Yume

Hi, my name is Yume Takeuchi. I was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. I am a pre-licensed nursing student at TMDU. I want to become a nurse who can work in many different departments, but right now I am especially interested in geriatric nursing. Because when my grandmother was hospitalized for an illness, I will never forget how the nurse who came to her hospital room made her smile when she was in pain.

Disasters are something that I am familiar with. This is because Japan is a country that is prone to disasters, and I could become a victim of one at any time. The Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 gave me a frightening experience, so I have been trying to be aware of the danger and at the same time, I have been searching for what I can do to help.

Kao

Hi, my name is Kao Otani. I am Japanese and I love our culture, especially Japanese pop music. I am a pre-licensed nursing student at TMDU. I have not decided what I want to be in the future, but I am interested in pediatric nursing and disaster nursing. I had the experience that I was helped by pediatric nurse in childhood, so I want to be like her. Moreover, I want to prepare for natural disasters from the perspective of disaster nursing and help others in an emergency.

I have been interested in disasters since I went to one of the Japanese cities that was really affected by the big earthquake in 2011. Its name is Iwate prefecture. I saw many buildings that was destroyed by tsunami there and I also had some chances to talk with people who lost their family, friends, houses and treasure things because of the earthquake. I strongly remembered that their grief is unimaginable but they also have resilience to overcome it. Since then, I sometimes join the chance that I can know how they think about that earthquake happened in 2011 now and try to think what I can do to prepare for disasters.

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