AFTER A NATURAL DISASTER

North America has had an increase in disasters the last decade, both natural (like floods, fires, and hurricanes) and manmade (like school shootings, bomb threats, and active shooters). The acute pandemic as well as the ongoing Long COVID are also major natural disasters.

Disasters leave us with multiple layers of grief over loss:

• through death of people and pets. We might even feel the death of those we knew in passing (the dog that lived in the corner house, the person who worked at the grocery)
• of our normal routines 
• of safety
• of trust
• of our possessions or homes
• of community buildings and spaces

That can be just the first wave!

Grief is normal, natural, and necessary for humans and animals. Living things grieve!

Months afterwards we might need to move house, to a different section of town, to another city, or even another state. Even if this is a choice, it's still a change and so it's a loss. Many relationships are changed after a disaster, too, even if friendships and marriages survive. Some people may also find themselves months or years later with ongoing injuries or suicides to handle, too. 

Grief and traumas can become intermingled and it's hard to find light.

It's completely common to have many emotions at once, including

• anger
• frustration
• sorrow
• guilt
• shame
• regret
• relief

Grief is about a broken heart not a broken brain. Our heart can be broken for quite a while and can be re-broken  before they're even healed. While everyone grieves differently, we need help and support healing our hearts after grief.

We might also feel a grief at the loss of control and loss of respect. If you have ever dealt with large companies or corporations like insurance companies or health care systems, you know that it's a full-time job for many months to file claims, be heard, get help, get support, and get financial aid. The processes rarely are hopeful or respectful or focused on our health and healing. It's about their processes not our needs.

On top of this many of us have to pay so much attention to our physical needs after a disaster, that we may not have time to grieve at all for years. That's a problem since unresolved grief accumulates. If it continues to stay "stuck" it may become complex grief or post-traumatic-stress.

BUT THERE IS HOPE!!! Here's what we know:

• grief can be healed to a level we can live with
• it's never healed alone
• healing is an active process
• it's an ongoing process
• we can feel joy again

One of the reasons we at Sea & Z Healing Foundation offer ongoing grief support groups is because we know that grief doesn't run on a calendar and you don't need more forms to fill out and hopes to jump through.

The pain of Helen is fresh for the U.S. right now, and as we write this Milton is getting ready to make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane. We're sending love, strength, prayers, and we'll be here with ongoing grief support for the years to come.

Stay Safe!

Much Love,
Laura

​P.S. Please contact us for specialized grief support groups for your community or groups, including first responders.

Below is the U.S. Government publication "Tips For Survivors: Coping with Grief After A Disaster or Traumatic Event" the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

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