The Resilience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Rising from the Ashes
The atomic bombardments of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the summer of 1945 were among those very devastating events in the history of humanity. In almost three seconds, two flourishing cities were reduced to rubble, carrying with them several souls. But from the ashes of such unparalleled destruction emerged the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, spurred into an astonishing resilience that was to become symbolic of human strength, hope, and renewal.
1. Enduring Immediate Catastrophe
Hiroshima suffered the impact of the world’s first atomic bomb “Little Boy” on August 6, 1945. Three days later “Fat Man” struck Nagasaki. Each city was leveled. It is estimated that 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki during the year of 1945 from initial blasts. Survivors, now called hibakusha, were left to deal with the fallout — physically, emotionally, and culturally. They had suffered third-degree burns, radiation sickness, and the loss of family, home, and livelihood.
It was, however, in the aftermath of such unimaginable losses that survivors, over time, started the process of recuperation: coming together in close-knit units even in trauma, sharing the pain of finding food, rebuilding shelter, and offering mutual emotional support. It was this feeling of…
