Hurricane Irma Psychotrauma Support for Victims

Background

Category 5 Hurricane Irma devastated communities across the Caribbean and southern United States with sustained wind speeds of up to 185 mph. Disasters such as Hurricane Irma devastate young and old, partners and families, immigrants, refugees, and native residents alike. These people have lost their homes and businesses or are first responders who experience their own trauma. Real Medicine Foundation is working to expand our Hurricane Harvey response to communities affected by Hurricane Irma. Services include counseling and psychosocial support. 

RMF’s Presence 

Real Medicine Foundation is an international NGO with an excellent track record in psychological trauma support. We believe that “real medicine” focuses on treating the person as a whole, providing medical/physical, emotional, social, and economic support. To care for victims of Hurricane Harvey, we are collaborating with Organizational Resilience International (a partner since Hurricane Katrina) to implement a 3-phase psychological support project for Hurricane Harvey victims in the Houston area. 

Since December 2017, our team has been speaking with clergy members from across the Greater Houston area to identify and assess their needs regarding how to support both church and community members in the wake of the September disaster. From January to February 2018, we provided over 70 clergy members and lay leaders with training designed to assist in understanding the impact of traumatic events and to promote the identification of strategies for self-care among caregivers. These clergy members and lay leaders will now pass their learning on to their congregations and communities through sermons, individual pastoral counseling, and ministry, thereby broadening the program’s overall impact to thousands of people. 

Situation Update

Nine months after Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and southern United States, communities are still struggling to recover as the next hurricane season begins. Bloomberg reports that in Florida as of June 1, 2018, “less than 1 percent of the promised $83 million in federal money has reached cities and counties.” Delays are causing strain on local governments and citizens, who must use emergency funds and borrow money for repairs, leaving cities and families more vulnerable in the face of possible new storms.

Meanwhile, the US Virgin Islands, hit by hurricanes Irma and Maria, have faced more extreme difficulties than communities on the mainland. Although cleanup has advanced and 95 percent of residents’ electricity had been restored by February 2018, The Washington Post reports that many residents are still reeling from “lack of insurance, federal aid limits, and job loss as most major hotels remain closed,” while the territory’s commissioner of education, Sharon Ann McCollum, stated that there were 2,000 fewer students than the previous academic year due to families relocating.

While communities are still recovering from the physical effects of Hurricane Irma, the psychological effects of the disaster are often overlooked. Whether families stay in their damaged homes or relocate, feelings of anxiety, depression, or disorientation often persist. Real Medicine Foundation hopes to address this psychological trauma by expanding our Hurricane Harvey response to communities affected by Hurricane Irma.