Page 150 - Essencials of Sociology

When a Tornado Strikes: Social Organization

Following a Natural Disaster hand. The next morning,

As I was watching television on March I took off for Georgia.
20, 2003, I heard a report that a torna- These photos, taken the day after the
do had hit Camilla, Georgia. “Like a big tornado struck, tell the story of people in
lawn mower,” the report said, it had cut the midst of trying to put their lives back
a path of destruction through this little together. I was impressed at how little
town. In its fury, the tornado had left time people spent commiserating about
behind six dead and about 200 injured. their misfortune and how quickly they took
From sociological studies of natural
As you look at these photos, try to deter-
disasters, I knew that immediately after practical steps to restore their lives.
the initial shock the survivors of natural mine why you need both microsociology and
disasters work together to try to restore macrosociology to understand what occurs
order to their disrupted lives. I wanted after a natural disaster.
to see this restructuring process fi rst-

For children, family
photos are not
as important as
toys. This girl has
managed to salvage
a favorite toy, which
will help anchor her
to her previous life.

Personal relationships are essential in putting
lives together. Consequently, reminders of these
relationships are one of the main possessions
that people attempt to salvage. This young man,
having just recovered the family photo album, is
eagerly reviewing the photos.

After making sure
that their loved ones
are safe, one of the
next steps people
take is to recover
their possessions.
The cooperation that
emerges among people,
as documented in the
sociological literature
on natural disasters, is
illustrated here.

© James M. Henslin, all photos