Tags: Disaster Recovery, Resilience, Katrina

Tags: FEMA, Disaster Recovery, Vermont

• No one who sees a disaster is untouched by it.
• Disaster stress and grief reactions are normal responses to an abnormal situation.
• Disaster assistance is often more practical than psychological in nature.
• Empowering survivors is crucial. Survivors appreciate genuine interest, concern and guidance in solving their immediate problems.
• Natural social support systems are crucial to recovery.
• Mental health workers need to set aside traditional methods, avoid the use of mental health labels and use an active outreach approach. A considerable amount of emotional and psychological support can occur over a cup of coffee.
• People are remarkably resilient as this brief video makes clear.

• Diminished senses may make it more difficult to hear what is said in a noisy, disaster recovery center or to smell spoiled food. Outreach to the person’s natural environment is often the most effective mode of help.
• Common, chronic conditions, such as arthritis, may make standing in line more difficult. Have seats available or move to the front of the line.
• Unfamiliarity with bureaucracies and stigma associated with “welfare” are unintended barriers to accessing help. Older persons often need convincing that they have helped pay for the assistance and that accepting it will not deprive another person from receiving help.
• Older persons are crucial resources. Ask for their help in identifying the helping networks in their community. As one survivor put it, “At 80 years old, there isn’t much I haven’t seen.”
• Reluctance to seek help often stems from fear of being placed involuntarily in a nursing home. Explicitly offer assurance that this is not the intent, and that on the contrary, assistance is designed to restore the older adult to independent functioning.

Tags: Disaster Recovery, FEMA, Vermont