Ensuring your Mental and Physical Health

Holistic Health Care and Hurricanes

How to nurture yourself when a natural disaster is near

By Melanie Pagan

Natural disasters don’t just leave property damage: Mental, emotional and physical effects can linger long after a storm fades. We asked health professionals to share their best tips to keep your whole health in check before and after a hurricane.

PRE-STORM CARE

Create a checklist

Make a checklist of all the things you need to have and do before a hurricane. “One of the biggest faults of trauma is that it takes away your sense of control, and that’s what makes it so scary. So, anything you can do to bolster your control will help you feel less anxious, scared and overwhelmed,” says Vanessa McElreath, a licensed psychotherapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.

Extend your timeline

Two to three days of goods won’t do it. “We really need to be shooting more for that seven-day sustainment,” Gloria Graham, Lee Health’s system director of public safety, says. Plan for any resources you need access to, such as special-needs shelters that support oxygen usage. Get bottled water, batteries, basic pain relievers, a first aid kit and power equipment for at least a week.

Prioritize prescriptions

Make sure you’re stocked up on any prescription medicine and medical supplies. Be sure you’re able to store them properly, too. For instance, have extra ice on hand for meds meant to be refrigerated.

Buy non-perishable food

“We encourage people to stock up on non-perishable foods and make sure to have the capability to open those non-perishable foods,” Graham says. “You don’t want to trade dealing with an emergency with consuming food that should no longer be consumed.”

Work on your wellbeing

How fully resourced you are emotionally before disaster will make you more resilient when it strikes. McElreath says, “Take care of your eating, sleeping, the way you move, and stay connected to resources,” such as a 12-step program, church, friends or a therapist.

Treat emotional upticks

“When we hear there’s an impending hurricane, our body starts anticipating that threat,” McElreath says. Do what your body needs to do—move, cry, take deep breaths—to let those hormones out, so clearer decisions can be made in a less hypervigilant state.

Learn about telehealth

Talk with your physician about telehealth, so you’re not trying to figure out how appointments work post-storm. Telehealth treatment “might be the difference between having to get in the car and be in a place that may be very busy versus being able to be in the comfort of a location you choose and to receive that one-on-one care,” Graham says.

POST-STORM RECOVERY

Feel your feelings

When your body is recovering from fight-or-flight mode, it’s consolidating resources, McElreath says. Feeling mentally drained, irritable, tired, sad and lonely are all common emotional responses.

“​​You’re allowed to feel anything that comes up, and comparing only complicates your ability to move through and grieve,” McElreath says. “It’s so normal and human to feel something even if you didn’t experience loss.”

Offer support

There’s enough space to feel sad and show up for people in your corner. Embrace the discomfort and just listen. “Most of the time, grief just needs to be witnessed. It doesn’t need to be rescued, and there’s no rescue that can really happen,” McElreath says.

Limit trauma exposure

“Even though our minds know the disaster is over, our bodies may not have caught up or believe it because we’re driving around town, seeing devastation everywhere and nothing looks the same,” McElreath says. Limit household exposure to the effects of the disaster so the body can feel safe again.

Share new perspectives

Natural disasters have a way of reminding us how precious life is and to prioritize accordingly. If you have difficulty getting back to work and being present, McElreath suggests sharing those feelings out loud. “Sometimes just naming it is enough because you usually get a ‘me too’ from someone.”

Keep generators at a distance

“It’s critical that the generator is outside and away from the house so that carbon monoxide is not getting into the living quarters. It may create another problem for you and your family,” Graham says.

Stay in motion

Jumping jacks or shaking it out to music can significantly affect your well-being. “It gives your body that sense of control which is taken away in a traumatic experience,” McElreath says.

Just breathe

“When you’re running from a disaster, it’s physically impossible to take a deep breath, so when you can take a deep breath when your body is in fight or flight, it signals to your brain the threat is gone and it gets you out of that sympathetic state,” McElreath says.

Know help is available

“We all want to ideally have as wide of a window of tolerance as we can so when big stuff happens, we’re not going to spill over outside that window,” McElreath says. If your feelings are getting in the way of your social and occupational functioning, it’s a good time to get support. Ask your health care providers about their ability to care for the community during a hurricane to know how to receive care when it comes.

Sources:

Vanessa McElreath, LMFT, CCTP

vmcelreathlmft@gmail.com, (707) 347-6437

Katie Egan, Lee Health<katie.egan@leehealth.org, 239-784-7735

Gloria Graham, Lee Health’s system director of public safety