Chapter 25Mental health and personal safety
Chapter 25 · Long-Term Planning · 14 min read

Mental health and personal safety

A disaster does not end when the storm passes. Days or weeks of exhaustion, uncertainty, confinement, paperwork, and sometimes loss follow. During that period two underestimated risks appear: the emotional wear and tear on the group and the people who take advantage of the chaos. This chapter gives you tools to look after the mental health of your household, make group decisions without fighting, spot scams, and stay safe in shelters, lines, and paperwork. Panic at the moment of impact and the STOP method are in chapter 1; the response to an active shooter (Run, Hide, Fight) is in chapter 9.

The essentials · if you only have a minute
  • Feeling fear, anger, sadness, or insomnia after a disaster is normal. If it lasts several days in a row and interferes with your daily life, ask for help.
  • Disaster Distress Helpline (SAMHSA): 1-800-985-5990, call or text, free, 24/7, multilingual.
  • Crisis or suicidal thoughts: 988 (call or text; for Spanish, press 2 or text "AYUDA"). Immediate danger: 911.
  • Psychological first aid: look, listen without pressuring, protect, and connect to help. Do not force anyone to talk about what they went through.
  • Routine, sleep, and one leader per task keep the group functioning during confinement.
  • Discretion: do not show off your supplies or post on social media that you evacuated or that you have a generator.
  • No FEMA employee charges you or asks for your Social Security number or bank details during a visit. Do not pay contractors in advance.

In this chapter

25.1Normal reactions to a disaster1 min read0/725.2Psychological first aid (PFA)1 min read25.3Sleep, routine, and leadership during confinement1 min read25.4Caring for older adults1 min read0/725.5Conflict in the group and decision making1 min read25.6Grief1 min read25.7When to seek professional help1 min read25.8Personal safety: situational awareness1 min read25.9Discretion (household OPSEC)1 min read0/725.10Safety in shelters and distribution lines1 min read25.11Scams after a disaster2 min read0/925.12Identity theft1 min read25.13Safety when receiving help1 min read25.14De-escalating a verbal conflict1 min read25.15Common mistakes1 min read
Chapter sources (1)
  1. 1.Disaster Distress Helpline / Línea de Ayuda para los Afectados por Catástrofes — SAMHSA — https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/ disaster-distress-helpline 2.Cómo sobrellevar un desastre o un evento traumático (hoja informativa) — SAMHSA / CDC — https://emergency-origin.cdc.gov/es/coping/ pdf/Coping_with_Disaster_2.pdf 3.988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: servicios en otros idiomas — 988 Lifeline — https://988lifeline.org/faq/calling-the-988-lifeline/faq-is-the-988- lifeline-available-in-other-languages-for-non-english-speakers/ 4.Psychological First Aid (PFA) Field Operations Guide y tarjeta de las 8 acciones — NCTSN / National Center for PTSD — https:// www.nctsn.org/resources/psychological-first-aid-pfa-field-operations-guide-2nd-edition 5.Psychological First Aid: Guide for Field Workers — Organización Mundial de la Salud — https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/ 9789241548205 6.Survival (FM 21-76 / ATP 3-50.21) — Ejército de EE.UU. 7.Vermont Survivors: Be Alert for Fraud and Scams (avisos de fraude de FEMA) — FEMA — https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20230823/ vermont-survivors-be-alert-fraud-and-scams 8.Weather emergencies and scams — Federal Trade Commission — https://consumer.ftc.gov/node/297675 9.Price Gouging, Scams, Charities, and Resources for Help in the Aftermath of Disaster — Procuraduría General de Texas — https:// www2.texasattorneygeneral.gov/emergency/resources-for-help-in-the-aftermath-of-disaster 10.IdentityTheft.gov — Federal Trade Commission — https://www.identitytheft.gov