We investigated the effects of evacuation experience on autobiographical memory, sensory-perceptual re-experiencing, emotions, and personal consequentiality of a natural disaster one year after. A total of 601 individuals participated, living nearby the area of the largest fire in modern times in Sweden. It was shown that evacuated (first-hand experience) compared to not-evacuated (second-hand experience) participants thought and talked more about the fire. Evacuated residents also mentally traveled back and re-lived the disaster more; as well as saw the fire, heard its sound, smelled it more, and felt more anxious, enraged, and emotionally strong. Moreover, evacuated compared to not-evacuated participants estimated that their life and view of the world had changed due to the natural disaster. All this suggests that the psychology of dramatically charged events, such as natural disasters, differs notably between individuals “being there” and those “hearing the news”, indicating a factual flashbulb memory as a result of the first-hand experience.

我们调查了避难经历对一年后自然灾害的自传体记忆，感官知觉，情绪和个人后果的影响。共有601人参加，居住在瑞典近代最大的火区附近。结果表明，与未撤离（二手经验）相比，撤离（第一手经验）的参与者对火有更多的思考和讨论。被疏散的居民也精神上回去，使灾难更加重现了。并看到火，听到了声音，闻到了更多的气味，感到更加焦虑，愤怒和强烈的情感。此外，与未撤离的参与者相比，撤离的参与者估计他们的生活和对世界的看法由于自然灾害而发生了变化。