When the Unimaginable Happens

Anyone who resides in the state of Florida lives under the threat of a major hurricane occurring between June 1 and November 30  – EVERY YEAR!
 
And there are many of us certainly getting our fill of hurricanes in the last couple of weeks.
 
I started googling ways to comfort oneself after a hurricane and came up with this: Re-establish your daily routine for work, school, play, meals, and rest. That seems a little lame to me – especially if you don’t have power, an habitable home or resources to relocate temporarily while you rebuild.
 
Geez: it’s like telling somewhat who is depressed to go get a mani and pedi. Helpful, but only in the very short run – like a band aid for a gushing and heavily bleeding wound.
 
The next suggestion I found wasn’t quite as unrealistic: after the event, involve your children by giving them specific chores to help them feel they are helping to restore family and community life. Praise and recognize responsible behavior. And understand that your children will have a range of reactions to disasters.
 
But I still had this compulsion to dig deeper. I found the following useful to understanding our reactions to violent climatic catastrophies:
 
A disaster refers to a natural calamity. 
The phases of Disaster are: 
     Peri-impact – before the disaster occurs
     Impact – when it occurs
     Recoil – immediately after
     Post impact – days to weeks after recovery
     Reconstruction – months and years after

Many times our first reactions after a natural disaster directly involving ourselves are shock, stupor and being dazed and stunned. This is a natural reaction to trauma when one’s life has been grossly threatened and from which a variety of biological, psychological and social wounds and scars result.
 
Psychic shock occurs in the Recoil stage and centers around being stunned upon recognizing the extent of the loss. This is seen as the first stage of the grieving process when confronting a natural disaster. One feels 
overwhelmed, sinking into a dark hole, feeling immobile, unresponsive, extremely fatigued. This can be coupled with constricted attention and detachment.
 
Quite surprising to me is that many of these natural responses can be viewed as adaptive and helpful to one’s recovery.
 
For instance, immobility can manifest itself by people being less likely to take risks and put themselves in unknown  jeopardy by venturing out and about too soon.  
 
Unresponsiveness in victims can help as it may facilitate more cooperation with authority figures than in less hazardous times.
 
Conservation of energy can be useful in replenishing one’s reserves of liveliness and zest at a future date.
 
Physical and psychological warmth, comfort and support is a must, as is physical contact and connection with others, reassuring voices, explanations of what is happening and expressions of positivity and progress.
 
In the Post-Impact phase, survivors emerge from their silos – grateful to be alive. They are eager to help others and re-connect with family and friends and to help rebuild their communities. This often results in a temporary post -disaster euphoria.
 
However, at the same time, anger is often directed toward outsiders whose help is often seen as lacking in empathy.  
 
What follows next is the Reconstruction phase, which can be a hard, prolonged time of rebuilding the physical environment and our internal lives and rebuilding community that has been temporarily lost. 
(These observations and recommendations above are those of the author Paul Valent, as found on searchgate.net)
 
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) also has some very practical health and safety guidelines:

View recovery from a natural disaster as a gradual process.

Safety is the primary priority, as is mental and physical well-being.

It’s important to know how to access services and aid.

Don’t try to do too much at one time. 

Set priorities and pace yourself.

Drink plenty of clean water and try and eat well.

Keep sturdy work boots and gloves handy. 

After working with debris, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and clean water.
 
Be aware of local safety issues such as washed-out roads, contaminated buildings, gas leaks, broken glass and damaged electrical wiring. Try and stay off the streets, especially until debris is cleared away.
 
Keep a battery-operated radio and battery powered flash lights handy. 
  
When you re-enter your home, if you smell natural gas or hear a hissing, leave immediately. Watch out for snakes and other animals lurking around. Beware of broken or frayed wires and roof, foundation or chimney cracks. 
 
If your appliances are wet, turn off the electricity and the circuit breakers and unplug appliances. Get them checked by a professional before using again.
 
If pipes are damaged, turn off the main water valve.
 
Throw out damaged food.
 
Call your insurance agent if you are lucky enough to have insurance.
 
And pray: 
Holy One, we ask you to calm the wind and the waves of the hurricane and spare those that were in its path from harm. Help those who were impacted to reach safety and regain their footing. And in the coming days, open our hearts in generosity to all in our community who need help and sustenance. And give us the strength, courage, and resolve to ride out this storm and its aftermath. Amen.

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

Iris Ruth Pastor