Coping with disaster

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The emotional toll that disaster brings can sometimes be even more devastating than the financial strains of damage and loss of home, business or personal property. *

Understanding disaster events

� Everyone who sees or experiences a disaster is affected by it in some way.

� It is normal to feel anxious about your own safety and that of your family and close friends.

� Profound sadness, grief and anger are normal reactions to an abnormal event.

� Acknowledging your feelings helps you recover.

� Focusing on your strengths and abilities helps you heal.

� Accepting help from community programs and resources is healthy.

� Everyone has different needs and different ways of coping.

Children and older adults are of special concern in the aftermath of disasters. Even individuals who experience a disaster "second hand" through exposure to extensive media coverage can be affected.

Recognizing signs of disaster-related stress

�         Difficulty sleeping

�         Low threshold of frustration

�         Increased use of drugs/alcohol

�         Poor work performance

�         Headaches/stomach problems

�         Colds or flu-like symptoms

�         Disorientation or confusion

�         Difficulty concentrating

�         Reluctance to leave home

�         Depression, sadness

�         Feelings of hopelessness

�         Mood swings and easy bouts of crying

�         Overwhelming guilt and self-doubt

�         Fear of crowds, strangers, or being alone

Easing your disaster-related stress

�         Talk with someone � seek help from professional counsellors who deal with post-disaster stress.

�         Do not hold yourself responsible for the disastrous event.

�         Take steps to promote your own physical and emotional healing by healthy eating, rest, exercise, relaxation and meditation.

�         Maintain a normal family and daily routine as much as possible.

�         Spend time with family and friends.

�         Participate in memorials.

�         Use existing support groups of family, friends and religious and community groups.

�         Ensure you are ready for future events by restocking your disaster supplies kits and updating your family disaster plan. Doing these positive actions can be comforting.

Monitor and limit your family's exposure to the media

News coverage related to a disaster may elicit fear and confusion and arouse anxiety in children. This is particularly true for large-scale disasters or a terrorist event where significant property damage and loss of life has occurred. Particularly for younger children, repeated images of an event may cause them to believe the event is recurring over and over.

If parents allow children to watch television or use the Internet where images or news about the disaster are shown, parents should be with them to encourage communication and provide explanations.

Use support networks

Parents help their children when they take steps to understand and manage their own feelings and ways of coping. They can do this by building and using social support systems of family, friends, community organizations and agencies, faith-based institutions, or other resources that work for that family. Parents are almost always the best source of support for children in difficult times. But to support their children, parents need to attend to their own needs and have a plan for their own support. Parents, therefore, should build their own social support systems.

Preparing for disaster helps everyone in the family accept the fact that disasters can happen, and provides an opportunity to identify and collect the resources needed to meet basic needs after disaster. When people feel prepared, they cope better and so do children.

Helping children cope with disaster

*From Are You Ready? An in-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness. Department of Homeland Security http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/emergency_preparedness/are_you_ready.pdf