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The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA; 2011) asserts that occupational therapy has a role in disaster response and risk reduction. This assertion is congruent with the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT; 2015) Position Statement on Disaster Risk Reduction. Occupational therapy practitioners1 can work with teams or autonomously in addressing both physical and mental health barriers to functioning and can contribute to disaster response and risk reduction efforts.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its precursor agencies have chronicled major disasters and emergency declarations since the 1950s (FEMA, 2017). Just within the past decade, the United States has seen a spate of natural and technological disasters resulting in many deaths, extensive property damage, and billions of dollars in economic and financial losses (Do, 2015). Survivors of disasters experience significant physical and psychosocial stress associated with trauma, loss, and physical displacement. Survivors may be categorized as direct or indirect, according to the impact of the disaster (Cohen, 2002), and may include individuals who have experienced maximum exposure to the traumatizing event; caregivers looking after the individuals directly exposed to the trauma; grieving families and significant others who have close affinities with the victims; communities that are socially linked to populations primarily affected by the disaster; and professional and volunteer workers (e.g., emergency medical and mental health and nursing personnel, clergy, community leaders, law enforcement, firefighters) involved in the disaster response, rescue, and recovery efforts.
The immediate and long-term effects of disaster-related stress compromise the survivors' health, functioning, and overall sense of well-being. Although certain groups of individuals may...