Africa's Floods and Droughts Messing With Our Minds. Researchers Try to Figure Out How

Africa’s floods and droughts are messing with our minds. Researchers are trying to figure out how – The Mail & Guardian

The parched earth opened in jagged cracks. But it was the dead cows on the side of the road that did it. By October of 2014, the government had declared a state of emergency in KwaZulu-Natal. The prolonged drought left some 40 000 cattle dead, with early losses of livestock and crops estimated at R400 million. Dam levels dropped, money was designated for borehole drilling, water tankers rolled in. That’s when Collins Iwuji started making the con…

Africa's Floods and Droughts Messing With Our Minds. Researchers Try to Figure Out How

When climate disasters strike Africa, the physical damage is obvious. But we're only beginning to understand the psychological toll. Here's why Western definitions of trauma can miss so much, and how one group of researchers are trying to get a better picture.