Kentucky towns devastated during a rare December tornado outbreak will take months or longer to rebuild. Recovering from the emotional trauma could take even longer. Experts say it is important for tornado victims to be vulnerable and open to talking about the trauma they experienced. "There's no rulebook of how to manage a natural disaster," said Tara Immele, a clinical social worker with Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services. "The first and foremost, you need a roof over your head and everyone acknowledges that. But the challenge is going back to address the emotional components there."Immele said PTSD is common in people who experience a traumatizing natural disaster like a tornado. "A lot of times it's a delayed response: a week, a month, six months later. You see a lot of folks enrolled in just basic counseling still addressing and responding to some of their negative experiences," she said. "Some people may withdrawal or act out, especially kiddos. But the thing is to make it a part of conversation, not force it but at the same time, don't make the tornado taboo."The American Red Cross utilizes licensed therapists to meet survivors' emotional needs in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. A spokeswoman said the teams "identify individuals who need additional support, provide short-term disaster mental health interventions and refer individuals to local resources as necessary, in order to supplement local community resources and strengthen community resilience."Tim Andreasen and his family are a handful of the tornado survivors in Mayfield who recognize they will need some kind of professional help to rebuild their minds and overcome the trauma of the storm. "I'm taking it day by day right now. It's not fully hit me yet. It will hit me when I'm alone by myself," Andreasen said last week. His 7-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter were both home when the tornado ripped their home apart."They keep hearing glass break every time they go to sleep," he said. "I keep telling him he needs to talk and get it out before it eats him up. I haven't even talked to nobody yet."
Kentucky towns devastated during a rare December tornado outbreak will take months or longer to rebuild. Recovering from the emotional trauma could take even longer.
Experts say it is important for tornado victims to be vulnerable and open to talking about the trauma they experienced.
"There's no rulebook of how to manage a natural disaster," said Tara Immele, a clinical social worker with Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services. "The first and foremost, you need a roof over your head and everyone acknowledges that. But the challenge is going back to address the emotional components there."
Immele said PTSD is common in people who experience a traumatizing natural disaster like a tornado.
"A lot of times it's a delayed response: a week, a month, six months later. You see a lot of folks enrolled in just basic counseling still addressing and responding to some of their negative experiences," she said. "Some people may withdrawal or act out, especially kiddos. But the thing is to make it a part of conversation, not force it but at the same time, don't make the tornado taboo."
The American Red Cross utilizes licensed therapists to meet survivors' emotional needs in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
A spokeswoman said the teams "identify individuals who need additional support, provide short-term disaster mental health interventions and refer individuals to local resources as necessary, in order to supplement local community resources and strengthen community resilience."
Tim Andreasen and his family are a handful of the tornado survivors in Mayfield who recognize they will need some kind of professional help to rebuild their minds and overcome the trauma of the storm.
"I'm taking it day by day right now. It's not fully hit me yet. It will hit me when I'm alone by myself," Andreasen said last week.
His 7-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter were both home when the tornado ripped their home apart.
"They keep hearing glass break every time they go to sleep," he said. "I keep telling him he needs to talk and get it out before it eats him up. I haven't even talked to nobody yet."
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