Thirteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

In July 2013, a train derailed in downtown Lac-Mégantic. It was responsible for forty-seven deaths, forty-four buildings destroyed, 2000 evacuees, and a major oil spill. A phone survey was conducted during autumn 2016 among 800 adults to examine the behavioral, psychological, and social impacts of this disaster three year after in regards of intense, moderate, or no exposure. Relationships between exposure intensity and these impacts were examined. A quarter (25 %) experienced intense exposure, 53% moderate exposure, and a quarter no exposure (22%). Higher proportion of high-exposure individual report their health status as either fair or poor, present more symptoms of traumatic stress disorder and symptoms of anxiety and depression. A substantial number of individual’s with high exposure have reported difficulties when managing both the catastrophe and its consequences on their personal, family, or professional lives. A quarter of the individuals who lost loved ones in the tragedy have difficulties in managing their grief.