Every now and then I feel swamped by the literature that must be read and analysed for this research to be credible.  I begin to feel overwhelmed by the task of sorting through it all and making sense of what has been written about natural disaster over many decades and by many researchers.

Then I find something that is about the people affected.  Those community members who are bravely regaining some control over their lives, bravely rebuilding their future – in the face of incredible loss and sadness.  You are the real heroes and you are why I am doing this work.

Sites like this one, developed by the Salvation Army, remind me of the real heartbreaking stories that natural disaster creates.