A wildfire near Athens, Greece, forces evacuations in 2024. An APHA-supported call to action urges communities to create an action plan to respond to care needs after a disaster.
Photo by Marios Lolos, courtesy Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images
Even as climate-fueled catastrophes increase, communities can successfully address the mental health storms that arise after a weather disaster strikes.
In September, the International Transformational Resilience Coalition issued a global call to action, urging communities to create “transformational resilience coordinating networks.”
The networks take a public health approach by encouraging communities to provide mutual support for the physical, social and mental health needs that occur after hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters.
“Social connections are vital to protect people during disasters,” Bob Doppelt, MS, MS, coalition founder and coordinator, told The Nation's Health.
Transformational resilience comes from finding new purpose and hope after disasters that disrupt access to food, water, shelter and income.
The APHA-supported call to action recommends that local governments create policies that authorize resilience networks and for institutions such as the United Nations to designate funding and technical support. It also calls on grassroots, civic and private sector organizations to become educated on the impact of climate change on communities and understand why a global temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius is so dangerous.
“We are going to hit 2 degrees Celsius,” Doppelt said. “The question before us is, can we keep it there and then begin to slowly reduce global temperatures over time? But we are heading for more frequent extreme prolonged disasters that contemporary society has never experienced, and that's combined with people who think ‘Oh it's just disasters.' It's not. It's more impactful.”
Anxiety, PTSD and depression are common after a disaster, and related problems can harm families and communities. Doppelt noted that the aftermath of recent extreme weather in southeast Florida increased alcohol and drug use, leading to a spike in violence.
Long-term mutual support is key because it is when communities return to a sense of normalcy that mental health symptoms begin to manifest, Doppelt said.
Coalition members can spread the word about the call to action through their own networks.
For more information on the “Global Call To Action to Provide Mutual Support for All,” visit www.itrcoalition.org.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
