Recovery Tips for Hurricane Survivors By Olasimbo Olanusi, MD, FASAM Hurricane Katrina, which ravaged New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast in late August, was among the most devastating natural disasters in terms of loss of human lives and destroyed property in the history of the United States. Following closely behind Katrina was Hurricane Rita in and near the same areas. The emotional reaction to such disaster is enormous and may linger over a long period of time.  Listed below are five common aftereffects that may affect a wide variety of individuals after such traumatic experiences and episodes: Anger and Aggression This reaction may emanate from an emotional reaction to the occurrence of the natural disaster and from subsequent worry about the tragic consequences. The anger may be expressed across a wide spectrum of emotions, ranging from minor irritability to intense rage or fury to physical aggression. Even though it is normal to experience any of the above emotions following the wake of a natural disaster, it is important to express those feelings of anger in an assertive, and not aggressive, way. Grief and Loss When people are faced with such a life changing crisis as a hurricane, oftentimes they experience intense, yet conflicting, feelings of loss and grief. Unfortunately, those feelings have to be experienced, endured and survived; however, during such times, it is vital that hope be kept a live for three important functions. One, this period of time enables those individuals to go through the grieving process and come to a full acceptance of loss. Two, hope encourages people to reach out to others for help and gives them the strength to accept their feelings with the full realization that no matter how powerful those emotions might be, they do not have the power to destroy us. It is important to note that hope does not do away with the pain, but instead allows us to accept it and live with a certain grace. Finally, hope envisions a brighter and better future for our loved ones and us. Displacement Issues When natural disaster strikes with the intense magnitude of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it forces many people to leave their houses with nothing. People leave not only their homes behind, but also their ability to earn money, buy food and/or protect themselves. All of these situations create vulnerability issues. Additionally, people are often separated from their family members, familiar community faces and structures and loss of personal documents, all of which limit their access to essential services. All recovery efforts should be geared to address the above issues and toward resettlement and reintegration of these people within society. Survivors' Guilt This is another major issue that survivors may have to grapple with in the face of a natural disaster. Some of the questions they may pose to themselves are "Why should I be the one spared to live in my family?" and "Is it perhaps my fault that my other family members, friends or associates died?" There is a tendency to experience such false believes because we fault ourselves based on what we did or did not do. Consequently, we believe we owe it to the memories of those who died to live their lives for them, as well as living our own lives. Watch out and guard against these feelings as they may ultimately compound emotional distress. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTDS) This is a disorder that occurs after witnessing traumatic events that are life threatening to us or which lead to the death of others. The response to the event may be intense fear, helplessness or feelings of horror. People who suffer from PTSD may experience any of the following symptoms and emotions: - Re-experiencing the traumatic events through nightmares, recurrent intrusive images or thoughts;
- Increased feelings of anxiety;
- Hyper arousal symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, angry outbursts, irritability, poor concentration and exaggerated startle responses;
- Feelings of numbness, detachment, estrangement or lack of emotional responsiveness;
- A major decrease of interest or participation in significant activities;
- Any of the above that occur and/or linger for a period of time longer than one month and/or that cause significant emotional social, family or occupational impairment.
Below are some coping strategies for those in the throes of these extremely intense emotions: - Spend more time with family members and loved ones;
- Communicate freely their feelings with people who understand and care enough to offer support;
- Seek reassurance;
- Get involved in positive recreational activities;
- Limit exposure to broadcast of the disaster either by television or radio as this may worsen the emotional situation;
- Avoid isolation;
- Do not repress or bottle up your feelings;
- Seek support from natural disaster groups within your community;
- Be hopeful and have a positive attitude and outlook about life.
You may need to seek professional help if your emotional reactions worsen progressively which can include, but are not limited to, physical aggression, depression, morbid preoccupation with the traumatic event, use of negative coping skills like mood altering substances and severe relationship, family, occupational and social problems.
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