Survivors

Survivors who escaped the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center had symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder years after the event, a study finds. Researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health surveyed 3,271 survivors two to three years after surviving the attack. About 95% said they had at least one recent post-traumatic stress symptom, and after screening, 15% were positive for PTSD. Only 4.4% reported no symptoms. Several risk factors for PTSD included which tower and floor people were on when the attacks occurred; when they were able to evacuate; exposure to the post-collapse dust cloud; witnessing some horrific scene (seeing a plane hit the towers, witnessing people falling or jumping from the towers)

As temperatures dropped in Japan overnight, rescuers searched for survivors of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that left many stranded without electricity, food or water. Almost 2 million households were without power in the freezing north, according to Kyodo News Agency, and about 1.4 million were without running water. About 300,000 people had been evacuated nationwide as of Sunday, the news agency reported. The death toll rose to 1,597, with hundreds more missing, officials at the National Police Agency Emergency Disaster Headquarters said early Monday.

It’s hard to imagine that anyone could survive anything as brutal as a gunshot wound to the head. And yet about 10% of the time, such victims do live. But what happens next? What kinds of lives do – can – people go on to have? To get a sense of the possibilities, staff writer Melissa Healy interviewed four victims of such injuries and chronicled their lives since the event: Leonard Rugh, shot in 1969 while serving in Vietnam; Matthew Gross, shot on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in 1997; Jackie Nink Pflug, shot in Malta in 1985 during an airplane hijack; Danny Rodriguez, shot in 2009 during a run-in with a gang after a party.

Sen. Scott Brown made headlines on Wednesday, revealing that he was sexually and physically abused as a child -- and describing the enduring legacy of that abuse. The news of his struggles may have surprised many Americans; it likely didn't surprise other former victims. The Massachusetts Republican's frank talk about the physical and sexual abuse that marred his childhood is set to air Sunday during an episode of CBS' "60 Minutes. " Brown, 51, also has written a book due out Tuesday about the trauma associated with being a victim.

A South Carolina police officer says he listened in disbelief as two men he saw running from blazing plane wreckage described how they escaped the inferno. Lt. Josh Shumpert said Wednesday he later learned the men were former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity disc jockey DJ AM. Shumpert had kept the badly burned men talking as they waited for medical help Friday night after the crash in Columbia. The musicians were the only survivors. Two pilots and two passengers -- all from the L.A. area -- were killed.

Kudos to Lynell George ("When a Loved One Chooses Death," April 12) for the insightful, in-depth article about Sam and Lois Bloom and the hours of Life-Saving support that they offer survivors of suicide. My life was tragically and forever altered when my fiance chose to end his life. During the weeks and months of despair that followed, the Blooms were like a beacon of light for me in an otherwise dark world. They continue to selflessly devote an incredible amount of their time participating in suicide research and helping survivors cope and heal after a loved one has died by suicide.

Fishing boats carrying more than 300 men reached safety six days after a cyclone ravaged southeast India's coastline, but almost 1,000 others were still missing, Andhra Pradesh state officials said Tuesday. "Three hundred fifteen fishermen have been found, 985 are still missing," said Vijay Kumar, a senior official coordinating relief operations from Hyderabad, the state capital.

This year, Aiman Youssef is thankful to be alive. The 42-year-old Staten Island man said he used to have a $300,000 house he could be thankful for, and a car, and two vans full of things he was going to sell on EBay. Then Superstorm Sandy ruined all that and the rest of his neighborhood too, so just being alive is the best he can ask for right now. "It's survival - that's what it is now," said Youssef, who sleeps in a tent, where it gets cold early in the morning, around 3 or 4 a.m. especially.

A truck jammed with as many as 60 suspected illegal immigrants crashed and rolled near Arizona City, about 60 miles south of Phoenix, killing four and injuring many, authorities said. Twenty to 30 passengers and the driver fled and had not been located, said a spokeswoman for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. Four males were pronounced dead at the scene, and 27 survivors were taken to the hospital. Speed and possibly alcohol were believed to be factors in the 5:30 a.m. crash.

Chance plays a large role, of course, in whether people survive catastrophes such as the recent collapse of the Seoul department store. But certain personality characteristics can also boost the survival rate, says Al Siebert, a Portland researcher with a doctorate in psychology who has studied the topic for 30 years. Those most likely to survive are playful, curious about new things and have a sense of humor.