More Emotional Disaster Preparedness Actions

Four More Foundational Activities for Empowerment in Disasters

Aug 24, 2008

As a group, these focus on building resilience, information, and empowerment before, during, and after emergencies. Activities 5-8 in this installment.

These foundational activities can be deliberately interwoven into all aspects of emergency preparedness training and educational programs. They apply to the general public, disaster professionals and trained volunteers. Each of these activities will help speak to the emotional underpinnings of all-hazards planning; none are specific to any particular type of emergency.

5. Know What Recovery Is Like. Talk about what happens emotionally to most people following a disaster (e.g., the majority recover with time, pulling together and continuing their lives). This information can be reassuring both before and after a disaster, creating (hopefully self-fulfilling) expectations for a positive emotional outcome (e.g., "I know over time that things will get better...most people come through and recover; I know I can, too."). Affirm the strength and resilience of the human psyche through personal experience, citing of research, and telling of stories.

6. Teach Stress Reduction. Talk about the need to adopt and regularly practice stress-reducing measures now (e.g., being in nature, meditation, exercise, prayer, relaxation methods, eating well, sleeping enough, social interaction). First learning self-calming techniques only after a disaster has taken place is a recipe for failure. Since stress-reducing methods take time to become a matter of habit, they must be taught and practiced in advance.

7. Get the Whole Family into Action. Encourage family discussions around a plan of action. Arm people with the information they need to either shelter at home and/or to evacuate. Keep the information age-appropriate for children, and talk about what both adults and children can do to be prepared. Encourage families to take stock of their strengths, which would serve to see them through an emergency. Focus on active measures everyone can take together right now.

8. Build for Material Recovery. A lot of security is generally placed in the goods we own -- if we can help prepare to protect or recover their value, it may motivate people to prepare in other ways. Becoming aware that there are common obstacles to the recovery process prepares people to overcome them in the future. Teach where to turn for help with insurance adjustment, Federal/State/local aid, and other resources that would be available during recovery. This can speed post-disaster recovery, and increase people's inner strength to meet what disaster may unfold at some unknown future time.

Psychological resilience research assures us that the skills and qualities that predict better recovery from trauma can be learned and nurtured, regardless of the natural resiliency possessed by any individual. The above eight foundational activities will help cultivate many of the very strengths required. Now is a perfect time to begin the process.

The copyright of the article More Emotional Disaster Preparedness Actions in Psychology is owned by Deborah Bier. Permission to republish More Emotional Disaster Preparedness Actions in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.