Coping with the Emotional Stress After a Hurricane

We all have our own particular ways of coping when faced with a traumatic event, but I believe when a natural disaster strikes, we all have one common way of coping. Having personally dealt with the emotional stress after going through a hurricane, I can tell you how I, and countless other survivors, were able to cope.

Hurricane Andrew was a monstrous storm that struck South Florida just three months after I had moved to South Dade County to begin a new life. (see: http://www.geocities.com/hurricanene/hurricaneandrew.htm ) For me, coping with the aftermath of the storm was compounded by the difficulties of adjusting to a new location, far away from everything I was familiar with. Shock is one of the first things a person has to deal with after going through such a traumatic event and I was already coping with the "shock" of having moved so far away.

The night of the storm was spent in pure terror as an uncontrollable force literally ripped the walls and roof apart around us. My 14 year old son and I ran from room to room in the pitch black darkness trying to find shelter from the flying debris. The wind was blowing with such force, it threatened to carry us away at any moment. We finally ended up huddled in a corner of a closet, holding onto one another, praying the walls wouldn't crush us.

The next morning we went outside to find the entire street demolished, and watched in shock and disbelief as our neighbors crawled out of the rubble that, only the night before, had been their homes. We were crying and thanking God they were alive because we were so sure everyone was dead. I'll never forget the vacant, shocked stares of all those people as they emerged from the rubble. And it remained on each and every one of them for a very long time afterward, especially on the children. I still cry when I think of the children all these years later.

Some of my memories of coping after the storm are these: Praying, crying, hugging...thanking God, questioning God, mostly thanking Him...helping each other, comforting each other...searching for food and supplies, sharing it when you found it...hammering, nailing, securing small spaces in corners of rubble to sleep...standing guard, learning to handle a gun...mosquitoes, heat, dirt, odor, mold, rain...darkness...babies crying in the night...sounds of generators...quiet.

I think what struck me the most was how whole neighborhoods and communities banded together, helping one another. From the very first morning after the storm, when mere survival was our primary goal, we all watched out for one another, sharing spaces in the rubble of our homes for people to sleep and sharing what little food we had. If someone took a trip to find ice or food, they shared it with everyone else. We eventually graduated to helping each other with rebuilding. Even I learned how to use a hammer and nails, do construction clean-up, and paint. We were all too busy to dwell very much on our circumstances.

So many people have asked me why I didn't leave and go back home since I had only been there three short months; it was certainly an option. My only answer to that is simply, I couldn't. I believe something awakens in people when there's a tragedy, especially one as huge as this, that stirs up a desire to help and comfort and care for one another. It's almost phenomenal. We've seen it other times as well, after 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina. It's sad that it seems to take a tragedy to stir up this sense of humanity in people, but maybe it's the struggle of just trying to cope, that brings it out.

I sincerely believe the most effective coping strategy we all found after Hurricane Andrew, was in helping one another. I honestly don't think I could have survived without the help of so many people who were hurting as much as I was.