*Reposting in light of the effect of Hurricane Harvey on communities.
As we come to the end of tornado season here in Georgia and for most of the US some people are left trying to repair damage and piece their life back together. The damage and impact of a natural disaster reaches further than destroyed homes and buildings. The victims of tornados will have to come to terms with the fact that their community and life can be destroyed and changed in seconds with little warning. The victims loved ones may think of the “what ifs” and think about how things could have been worse.
The nation is impacted by stories of tragedy and overwhelming community support after a natural disaster.
I recently had the opportunity to visit one of the hardest hit communities this year by an EF4 tornado. You may remember seeing on CNN about three months ago multiple EF2 and EF4 tornadoes ripping through the eastern half of the US spanning from Alabama to Ohio. The tornadoes left a ton of destruction in many states with the worst hit states being Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio with 28 fatalities reported in those three states alone, according to CNN. The tornadoes left hundreds of people without homes and basic needs such a food and water. The Department of Homeland Security and American Red Cross came in to bring order and basic needs to the destroyed communities.
As I planned to visit the community I kept thinking about this question “What is life like after a natural disaster?”
When I entered the community the first thing I noticed was all of the physical damage of the tornado; I could see the path the tornado took through this community right away. The path seemed to stretch for miles with no trees standing and building/homes leveled. You could see the community’s efforts to rebuild their homes and school, but the community still looked destroyed. As I spent more time in the community I started to see the psychological impact of the tornado. In every conversation I had people spoke about their experience of the tornado. Many described a fearful experience of not knowing where their loved ones were when the tornadoes hit. Feeling worried as they were not able to reach them because all of the phone lines and cell towers being down. The stories of
The stories of terrible tragedy were shared including of a mother who lost her legs protecting her children and a baby being thrown into a field. Many expressed anger over changed plans and traditions from the school being destroyed. Though many people had similar shared experience, people expressed a wide range of thoughts about feelings about all of the damage and change. People also shared their experience of the community coming together and the nation offering help to rebuild the community. Even though the community is in the progress of rebuilding it seems many are still waiting for some level of order and normalcy to come back to their lives.
As a therapist, I noticed many normal trauma responses to a natural disaster in the community including fear, anger, grief, and guilt. People within the same community can have very different experiences. One family may barely escape death and lose their home, while another family’s home remains untouched and the family unharmed. This fact often brings up many questions for people directly impacted by the tornado and those who watch from the side lines. I noticed people in the community continued to share their experiences with each other and bond together in those experiences. This is common after a traumatic event; it is a way for people to make sense of the disaster and come to terms with the fact that their community and life will never quite be the same.
