Written Output

1. AGUSTIN, JOHN CHRISTIAN, M.
BCOM0423 - RDH Comm.
Reflective Interview & Essay
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The experience of a typhoon survivor / victim
1. Post screenshots / Pictures of your interview with the “victim”.
2. On this portion, try to relate various psychological phenomena (denial, stigmatization,
etc.) which you have learned in the Topic 2 lecture with regards to the answers of your
subject.
Use concepts learned in the lecture (effects of disasters, psychological effects,
risk perception, risk communication) and further readings to support your claims.
Last November 2020, a strong typhoon hit the Philippines and created damage,
specifically the Luzon area, this was typhoon Ulysses. The typhoon struck while the
Philippines was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and various sections of the
country were under different community quarantines. I have an opportunity to talk to a
friend that experienced the typhoon Ulysses and saw the damages it caused in their house
and community. She asks a favor if it is okay to keep her name anonymous. She started
to tell me what happened during that time. She is from the National Capital Region and
her town really experiences strong winds and floods. During that time she doesn’t know
what to do and creates what 's on her mind. She told me that this is the first time she
experienced that strong flood, like in 10 minutes the water rose on her hips. “Hindi ko alam
yung gagawin ko kasi wala naman kaming second floor para maiakyat yung gamit kaya
pinagpatong-patong namin yung mga bagay na pwede bang maisalba at mahalaga” she
said during the interview. There were only four of them in their house during that time, her
parents and her younger brother. She also saw how stress and worried her parents during
that time “Ang iniisip na lang ng parents ko ay ang mahalaga ligtas kaming dalawa ng
kapatid ko kahit kaunti lang ang maisalba naming gamit”. She tried to help but rain kept
falling and the water in their house kept rising until it reached her chest. She, her mother

2. AGUSTIN, JOHN CHRISTIAN, M.
BCOM0423 - RDH Comm.
Reflective Interview & Essay
___________________________________________________________________________
and her brother are standing on the sink while her father continues to make ways for them
to be safe. Her family was stuck in the house for almost 3 hours until the rescue came and
brought them to a safer place.
Her family was safe but the effects on their mental and emotional lives are not a
joke. I ask her if it is okay to ask what she feels after the disaster and realizations. After
she answers all my questions, I come up with the answer that she and her family
experience different psychological phenomena such as denial, withdrawal, hopelessness,
& helplessness and fear and avoidance. Denial in a way that she doesn’t keep herself
updated on the latest happening during that time and also avoids warnings. While
withdrawal, hopelessness, & helplessness happens because according to her there was
a time on that day, her parents don’t want to leave their house. Lastly, fear and avoidance
because there is also a time she doesn’t care about typhoon damages shown in the TV,
she keeps herself believing that a strong typhoon will never happen to them. In terms of
the effects of disasters, she feels her parents stress while cleaning the house and thinking
how they will bring back the household things that were broken by the typhoon. In this
case, it is true that ages 40-60 or the parents experience stress during and after disasters
and she also tells me that her little brother is slightly distressed after what happened. I ask
her if it affects her mental health, she says that she is always trying to make her mind and
body calm but there was a time she felt emotional if she remembered what happened. I
came to the conclusion that in terms of gender, girls are more likely to be emotional after
disasters. Generally, I realize that having communication during that situation will help
everyone in dealing and addressing aftermath disasters whether emotional, mental or
psychological health.
3. Discuss what you have appreciated and learned with this exercise and how
communication could help in improving the past, present, and future situation of the
victim.
What I have learned in this exercise is that most victims of disasters face different
psychological phenomena. I also understand the effects of disasters and its psychological
effects on the victims more. It is very important to check on a victim's mental health in a way
that people should give them assistance and guidance that will not trigger the mental health
of the victim more. This exercise also let me understand the extent to which disasters affect
people's lives and identify various psychological reactions during disasters. What I have
appreciated about this exercise is the way how people or myself could contribute in a positive
way by communicating to the victims to help them cope with the disaster they’ve experienced.
This led to reason and answers on how communication could help in improving the past,
present and future situation of the victim. I think communication plays a vital role in coping
with disasters or even any disease that victims may have experienced and this will come in
different ways of communicating with the people who experience disasters. First is,

3. AGUSTIN, JOHN CHRISTIAN, M.
BCOM0423 - RDH Comm.
Reflective Interview & Essay
___________________________________________________________________________
communication during and after disasters would help the community or the victims to check
their relatives so that they reduce their worries. Second is, communication brings awareness,
if people are aware of psychological effects on the victims after a disaster or knowledge about
a certain disease, they will know how to handle it and be sensitive. The third one is, if people
or victims continue to communicate with each other, maybe it will be the key to easily forget
their experience in disasters or look at it as a wake up call. All in all, communication is very
important and it plays a big role in improving the past, present and future situation of the victim.