More than 100,000 were left homeless in the island's rugged central regions. Clinical and research information collected from previous earthquakes has helped us to understand that sur-vivors face both the danger of death or physical injury, and the loss of their loved ones, homes, possessions, and communities. The effects of these traumas are immeasurable and long-lasting.
Survivors are at high risk of behavioral and emotional re-adjustment problems.
Earthquakes tend to produce a series of events that continue to affect people's lives over a prolonged period, rather than a circumscribed event with a defined endpoint. Persistent or recurring disruptions from the earthquake contribute substantially to continued mental health problems. General psychological distress levels following an earthquake appear to stabilize after about 12 months, but post-traumatic stress reactions do not stabilize until 18 months after the earthquake. In some individuals, there is a high likelihood of permanent psychological symptomatology following earthquake exposure. This is particularly true of those who have the highest level of exposure and the greatest amount of personal loss and damage associated with the earthquake.