Wild Weather, Natural Disasters Bring Unexpected Emotions And Questions

American Red Cross mental health experts offer tips on how to cope and talk to kids about feelings; working in disaster areas to help people recover emotionally

WASHINGTON, Thursday, January 13, 2005 — While many saw the start of the new year as a time to recognize “how lucky we are," recent devastating weather and natural disasters also are causing people to experience overwhelming emotions. The trauma associated with experiences such as the tsunami, California mudslides and flooding in Utah devastates individuals not only physically and financially, but emotionally.

“The images and stories of the storms and the tsunami we have been seeing and hearing can take a toll on our emotions and specifically how we approach this new year,” said Dr. Gerard Jacobs, American Red Cross disaster mental health expert. “As we look ahead, it’s important to remember that each person experiences stress differently and has his or her own unique methods of coping. If your usual methods of coping aren’t being effective for you, seek out support from a mental health professional.”

After days and weeks of being bombarded with stories about disaster, children—in particular—can often be afraid that the event will happen to them or their family; believe someone will be injured or killed; or think they could be left alone. Parents can help children cope by encouraging them to talk about the disaster and including them in family activities.

To help people cope with the emotional stress which accompanies images and stories of disaster, the American Red Cross is offering the following mental health tips:

• Spend time together as a family. This will give children a sense of stability and assurance.
• Get away from the stress of the disaster if you can. Turn off the TV news reports and distract yourself by doing something you enjoy.
• If you want to do something to help—either support the relief efforts in some way or reach out to help friends and neighbors in need.
• Spend time with other people. Coping with stressful events is easier when people support each other.
• Tackle one thing at a time instead of doing everything at once.
• If you find you are overwhelmed with too many things to do, put off or give up a few things that are not absolutely necessary.

More tips for how parents and educators can talk about disasters with children are available at www.redcross.org/services/disaster. Disaster preparedness information also is available at www.redcross.org/services/disaster.

The American Red Cross has a long history of providing emotional support to those directly or indirectly affected by disasters around the country and around the world. Currently, Red Cross disaster mental health professionals are providing services to disaster victims throughout the nation, such as the mudslides in California. Additionally, the American Red Cross provided psychosocial support experts (similar to mental health counselors in the United States) who are training local relief workers in Maldives. These trainings are geared towards the Maldives’ culture and are modified to meet the exact needs of tsunami survivors. American Red Cross disaster mental health services has helped people recover from the emotional aspects of disasters since 1989.

Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 900 field units dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1 million volunteers and 36,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 70,000 disasters, trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and keeps U.S. military families connected worldwide. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide. Marsha J. Evans is the President and CEO of the American Red Cross.