Who Can You Count on for Help

When an emergency occurs, whether it's a physical injury or fire in our neighborhood, we typically assume that emergency response personnel will be available if and when we need them. But the reality is that in a large scale disaster, professional emergency response teams are swamped by the scope of the situation. Bluntly put, there is no way that they can respond to everyone in need.

This is why they advise the general population to be emergency prepared. And emergency preparedness begins with information, educating ourselves about what we can expect and what we can do to cope until more help arrives. The next step is taking stock: what skills and supplies do we already have? What do we need? And, just as important, what liabilities do we have? Is our home earthquake and fire safe? Do we have special health risks or challenges? What can we do to reduce our risks and handle our limitations? After we educate ourselves and take stock, we need to take action. Action includes bolting or braces those bookcases and water heaters, recharging or replacing fire extinguishers, laying in a supply of clean, safe water and other supplies, making evacuation plans, and drilling with our families and coworkers. We may even elect to get some additional training, such as in first aide and CPR.

But even with the best of preparations, many people find themselves unable to ride out the effects of a large scale emergency with any outside help. This is why FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) advises individuals to monitor local news sources, especially radio, for up to date information about safety advisories and emergency assistance. Direct assistance to individuals and families may come from any number of organizations, including:

Recovering from Disaster -- Managing Stress & Mental Wellness

When a disaster strikes, our first concern is our immediate physical survival. But the repercussions, and risks, of a disaster go on long after the initial emergency is past. Throughout this serious of Emergency Preparedness articles, we've emphasized the critical importance of being informed and prepared. But there is one more factor that we must all consider when coping with disaster, and that is our mental and emotional well being.

Extreme or prolonged stress has the power to cloud our judgment, weaken our immune system, and potentially destabilize our networks of support (if members experience prolonged debilitation from panic, fatigue, depression, or other related symptoms). So practicing good emotional self care during and after a disaster is an important part of our survival tool kit. Some recommended self care behaviors to practice after the initial danger has passed include:

Stay calm while you review your situation. In the first few minutes after the disaster has struck, you will likely need to move yourself and your loved ones to a safer location and/or collect materials you need to survive. Now is not the time to let emotions sweep you away.
Do a quick review of your disaster preparedness planning and info. Remind yourself of what you know about coping with the specific disaster at hand. Perform a mental check of what you have already done, and of what else you might do.
Take whatever constructive action your disaster preparedness plan requires.
Having done the above, tell yourself "good job" for each thing you have accomplished. Take the things yet to be done one step at a time. Let yourself off the hook for anything that can't be done at this point -- staying calm and practical is more useful in a survival situation than perfectionist hysteria.
Don't worry about the non-essential (lost mementos and damaged valuables are not important at this time)
Work together. Give comfort to those around you, and allow others to do the same for you. Creating a sense of community will help you psychologically and will help you deal with whatever jobs or emergencies arise.
Limit your exposure to high drama media coverage of the disaster. This is especially important for children.
Create a safe space for grieving. Once the immediate danger is past, make sure to give yourself opportunities to express the feelings brought on by the disaster. Tell another person with whom you feel comfortable about your concerns and your personal experience of what happened. Remember that feeling upset when something bad happens is normal, and that holding everything in all the time prevents our body from a healthy release of stored tensions. Such withholding also prevents vital psychological processing that sustains our long term mental health.
Take stock of the positive. Balance grieving and venting with discussions or personal reflections about the positive -- about moments of good fortune, what you did right, things you have learned, what you are grateful for, and about what you are looking forward to.
Keep it simple. Breathe deeply, and let go of trying to handle it all at once. More and more doctors are discovering that patients can cope with great hardships if they keep focused on the body's present reality -- not what happened in the past, what happened to someone else, or what might happen in the future. Breathe slowly and deeply, in and out, and try to bring your attention to the breathing. Let go of trying to do, or control, anything else. (Feelings will come up, and you may need to cry or scream into a pillow. But when you are ready, go back to the breathing exercise.) Thoughts and images may come up, but don't try to analyze them. Treat them as you would a dream. And just keep with the breathing. When you are done with this exercise (5 to 20 minutes), remember to take things one at a time. And keep it simple.
Many people experience a crisis of faith during such large scale hardship. It is hard for us to accept and reconcile much of what we see with our ideas and feelings about how the world is or should be. Understand that all this is a natural part of the grieving process. At the same time, such crisis experiences make us more conscious of what it is that really matters to us, and can be a major opportunity for spiritual growth. And along with highlighting hardships, such disasters can reveal much that is beautiful about life, such as compassion, community, and perseverance.

Remember that sometimes the only thing we can do in such devastating situations is to cultivate the good within ourselves. We can be as helpful, compassionate, sensible, fair, and forgiving as we can manage -- knowing that we are bringing more good into the world. If we are spiritual people we also have the opportunity to be an open conduit of blessing, by exercising our intuition and our faith. (Note that since doing so under difficult circumstances is easer if we are practiced, our spiritual discipline becomes another form of emergency preparedness.)

Above all, just do your best, accepting that it may be less than you had hoped. Be gentle with yourself, and it will be easier to be gentle with others -- and to be more fully present to do what must be done.

Recognizing Signs of Disaster Related Stress
from FEMA

When adults have the following signs, they might need crisis counseling or stress management assistance:

Difficulty communicating thoughts.
Difficulty sleeping.
Difficulty maintaining balance in their lives.
Low threshold of frustration.
Increased use of drugs/alcohol.
Limited attention span.
Poor work performance.
Headaches/stomach problems.
Tunnel vision/muffled hearing.

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.

For further reading:

Recovering From Disaster -- by FEMA

Become a Trained Emergency Services Volunteer. Not only will this benefit your community now, but it will help you gain the skills to be better able to help when disaster strikes.