Reclaiming Your Life after a Natural Disaster

Critical Thinking

Reclaiming Your Life after a Natural Disaster

The Role of Psychology

Abstract

        Psychology is so much a part of our everyday lives that most of us are not even conscious of its presence. Psychology is used to manipulate and motivate us, to control our emotions and behavior, and also to help us live a fuller life and cope with difficulties that stop us in our tracks. One such difficulty is a natural disaster, or any type of disaster for that matter. After a disaster, after the shock goes away, we are left with the task of comprehending what just happened, who survived who did not and how do I go on from here? Emotionally you’re a wreck and even if you do have a support group around you it takes time and patience to recover if at all. Very often professional care, observation and counseling are needed. Learning to recognize when we need help and admitting it is just the first step but there is much more that can be done even before a disaster strikes to prepare us as much as possible for what will follow. That is where psychology, which we take for granted every day, can play a big role in helping us understand and cope with the difficulties that lie ahead.


        On September 28, 2005 the lives of many people were about to change, for nearly all, this change would be a permanent one. That Sunday morning was to be the last time I would see my home as it was then. The last time I would see my neighbors, the people I worked with, friends and my city as I remember it. I left home that morning and headed east. There was a storm in the Gulf of Mexico and I finally realized that this one was not going to be like any of those we had experienced in the last 20 years. That morning the Mayor announced that everyone in the city that can leave, must leave immediately. That’s when I got it but I had no idea I was leaving behind more than just my home.


        When I got to Mississippi I headed to the coast to get off the I-10 which was like a parking lot. As I passed along the beaches and the casinos I couldn’t imagine the devastation and destruction that was just hours away. Listening to the reports on WWL radio and the calls coming in made me just want to keep heading to Florida where I knew or hoped I would be far enough away. After fourteen hours on the road I stopped at a Red Cross shelter in Tallahassee, it was about 2am local time. They had just opened the shelter a short time before and mine was the third vehicle to arrive.


        Morning came and those of us awake stood around the television eager to hear something to let us know we could be returning home soon. Instead the sketchy reports that came in only made us feel worse. It was becoming clear that the hurricane called Katrina had ravished much of the gulf south from Louisiana to Florida.


        The shelter was beginning to fill with more weary travelers; they came from all over the gulf south. We watched the TV in stunned silence and wondered now what? There we were in a strange place, most with just the clothes on our backs and whatever we could take with us.


        By the second day everyone knew there would be no returning home any time soon. That night I called my family in Palm Bay and told them where I was and that I would be coming to stay awhile. More people arrived and on the third day the shelter was filled to near capacity. Some locals came by to offer their homes for a bath or a nap. I took off around noon and once again headed east. I realized how lucky I was to find that shelter and have a place to stay.


        The Red Cross did a good job making sure everyone was cared for and while there I met several volunteers with FEMA. They were using the shelter for their staging location before heading to the gulf coast. One of the people I talked to was a psychologist and he told me how he would be helping people cope with the situation. It never occurred to me at the time that this type of aid would be part of the response team sent to help the survivors but just looking at those around me it made sense.


        Disasters such as Hurricane Katrina are difficult to bounce back from; a person can become overwhelmed and without support from family and friends it could have lasting negative effects on one’s life. For many still further help is needed, professional help. What about those who have no one to turn to after such a disaster? Where do they go? The walking wounded who cannot express themselves; they alienate family and friends or take on destructive behavior, how do we help them?


        Even now nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina there are thousands still dealing with trying to put back the pieces of their shattered lives. Especially affected are those of lower income or with no strong family or community ties. They all live with the memory of Katrina every day; some find the strength to go on while others just give up.


        In an Associated Press article from New Orleans, dated June 2, 2007 they report that almost two years after Hurricane Katrina, many in the medical community think that the massive storm is still killing. Dr. John Thompson, director of forensic neuropsychiatry at Tulane University Health Sciences Center was quoted as saying “We all think the death rate is up, look at all the things people are living with: tremendous stress, the dust and mold still in houses and buildings, financial worries, fear of crime. There are bound to be both psychological and physical stresses."

        Although deaths have not been listed as Katrina-related since the end of 2005, Orleans Parish coroner Dr. Frank Minyard said he believes the hurricane is responsible for many more deaths. According to Dr. Minyard "There is no doubt in my mind that Katrina is still killing our residents, people with pre-existing conditions that are made worse by the stress of living here after the storm. Old people who are just giving up. People who are killing themselves because they feel they can't go on."


        One person who agrees is Dr. Ronald Kessler, professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School and head of a group that has monitored 3,000 exiled Katrina survivors. Dr. Kessler commented that "There are high rates of mental health problems among the survivors and previous research has found that mental disorders are predictors of earlier death rates, so putting the two together in New Orleans is not surprising." Dr. Kessler also suggested psychological autopsies - which try to reconstruct an individual's mental and physical state before death - might be helpful in determining exact causes of death.


        In agreement are local mental health professionals who say they are encountering more people with psychological problems. Others are reporting the same findings, Leah Hedrick, social worker at Ochsner Hospital told the associated Press "We're seeing triple the number of people with mental health problems as we were before Katrina; depression, suicidal, anxiety, abuse of drugs and alcohol, and along with that comes a lot more physical problems."


        Much has been done since the first days of Katrina and much has been learned in the way of psychological study to help people adjust. In fact Katrina has become a case study for many other disasters that followed.


        Mental health experts in a 2006 State Leadership Conference concluded that recent disasters such as Hurricane Katrina have demonstrated that, in addition to immediate aid, survivors need long-term, culturally sensitive mental health resources from state disaster-response networks.


        Margie Schroeder, director of the APA Practice Directorate's Disaster Response Network told those in attendance at the conference that as we have seen with Katrina, continued aid is needed in the region and will be needed for some time, she asked "What kind of aid can psychologists provide, and what is currently being done out there that might be a model for us looking ahead?"


        One thing that must be done is to get involved with the community as quickly as possible to give those in need a place to go to get help. According to Rita Justice PhD, a Disaster Response Network (DRN) coordinator for the Texas Psychological Association, their connections with first responders, city and county emergency management groups and volunteer groups provided critical information on what resources were available and where. She noted when Houston's Astrodome took in a mass transfer of 100,000 New Orleans evacuees, the DRN was called in to organize the mental health response and coordinate the services supplied by many volunteer groups.


        This is some of the ways basic and applied psychology can be applied to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina to help us understand what people are going through and help them adjust and cope with their situation. It is also important to stay informed on daily developments and be prepared to continue assistance in the long term.


        Psychological data can be gained in many areas on how to deal with the traumas people suffer following a disaster and how to continue providing that care as long as necessary. Those who are severely affected will require more attention and psychology can work with survivors to educate them on how to recognize symptoms of mental distress. Disaster teams working with psychologist must be able to better communicate with survivors and recognize when a person is reaching out for help. Psychology must take a leadership role in educating and treating those suffering from the trauma and confusion resulting from a disaster. Follow up is all important in making sure the person continues to follow the treatment prescribed by the psychologist.


        Psychological Associations should play a role in coordinating with government and other groups in implementing a long term strategy for care and recovery of disaster survivors. They must promote involvement by all possible groups, not just volunteers or religious groups but also teachers, doctors, community leaders and organizations. Information must be made easily available to everyone who needs it. Behavior such as personality changes and other signs of mental or physical distress must be clearly defined and the information distributed to the community. Advice and contact information must be provided in all appropriate languages. As a multi cultural society, traditions must be observed and respected also psychologist can train volunteers and disaster teams on cultural relativity.


        The number of practitioners trained for disaster situations should be increased to avoid shortages in major disasters like Katrina. A good example is the Kentucky Psychological Association, where a disaster-training program has been set up which is accessible through 15 telehealth conference sites statewide. Participants learn about different considerations for treating children, adults and older adult victims and receive an introduction to diversity issues in trauma treatment. The training is free, and the association has sent flyers to more than 7,000 mental health professionals in the state.


        Basic psychology can be conducted in universities, colleges or research institutions for example where survivors of a disaster can take part in controlled research. Cognition could be one such study; is the person able to grasp the situation and what has happened? Can they face up to the problems that lie ahead? Are they capable of putting a plan together and working that plan? Applied psychology can use the results of basic research and apply the methods directly to those who need it.


        Through careful controlled observation and education we can make an important contribution to providing much needed help to disaster survivors.

Conclusion

        We seem to be in a time now where disasters are happening more frequently, especially right here in the US. In any one day you can follow at least two or three situations involving some type of traumatic event. Homes burning in California, flooding in Texas, tornadoes in Kansas and now we are once again in hurricane season and we know what that means. On top of that we still have earthquakes, volcanoes and terrorist to consider, so you get my point. We must be prepared for a very active time ahead, you can feel it, Mother Nature is flexing her muscles and some of us are getting in the way. There is a kind of tension or anxiety in the air. All around the country there are thousands of people who are victims of one disaster or another. We wake up to the radio in the morning and another disaster is in the news, it’s the same thing at the end of the evening, and we can’t help but wonder where next? So many lives are being torn apart, and terrible acts of murder and cruelty are being committed. We need to get a handle on what is happening in our society. Psychology must be a part of the solution and not just continue but step up their involvement in the research of disasters and how a population is affected. Not just following a disaster, but prior to; the anxiety and anticipation that precludes a disaster, how it dictates our behavior and motives, how we treat ourselves and one another.


With a greater understanding of what is happening, why it is happening and what we can do about it, many more victims of disasters can be helped and psychology is perhaps the most important contribution to this healing process. Psychology is a vital link in the chain and is needed now more than ever.

References

Meyers, Laurie. Monitor Staff. (2006, May) Volume 37, No. 5, Katrina trauma lingers long: Disaster experts shared lessons. Monitor on Psychology, APA Online, PsychNET®
© 2006 American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/monitor/may06/homepage.html
Almost two years later, debate rages over whether Katrina is still killing
(“Almost Two Years” 2007, June 02) Associated Press
http://psycport.apa.org/
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1132832,00.html