How do most of us react to disasters?

 

"... from Katarina Wittekind, as this is Some of the best wisdom I’ve seen/read around disaster psychology. Helps to have a visualization of the arc of the journey to see where we’re at and keep the big picture of the long haul that this will be - physically of course, but emotionally as well.
Here in this heroic phase we are enamored by community coming together and energized/motivated by the adrenaline and oxytocin of it all… and that is beautiful but let’s remember to not burn ourselves out in that… keep tending to ourselves and our spirits as this is a long journey.
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Phases of disaster. We are still in the heroic stage 1 week out.

Read more about the phases here to know what to expect ahead.
https://www.edusc.org/.../the-emotional-lifecycle-of-a.../

Phase 3, Heroic

Occurring at the time of impact of the disaster and in its immediate aftermath, the Heroic phase is characterized by a shell-shocked community with emergency needs for food, water, and shelter.

Emotions
Grief and loss are strong at this stage, but so too are emotions of altruism. There is a sense of the heroic, of people responding from the highest, most noble part of themselves to help fellow human beings by rescuing, offering needed supplies, and generally giving the best of themselves to meet dire needs. The firemen who went up into the stricken Twin Towers after the 9/11 attacks in New York. The random guys with boats that decide to save people from rooftops in floods.

Behaviors
The community sees many heroic actions, and much energy goes into saving others’ lives and property, even sometimes before one’s own is looked after. An example of this occurred after both Hurricane Katrina (2005) and also the New Zealand earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, when first-responders, such as the Search and Rescue teams, toiled long hours to rescue and assist survivors even though their own homes had been demolished in the disasters.

Important resources
The family groups, neighbors, and emergency teams on the scene immediately are the most important source of help in the first post-disaster hours.

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This is old history probably, but at noon Mon. I read this on NPR.

Hurricane Milton reached Category 5 strength on Monday morning, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, the National Hurricane Center said shortly before noon E.T.

It underwent what forecasters call "remarkable" rapid intensification after being upgraded from a tropical storm on Sunday, blowing past Category 4 strength in a matter of hours.

NPR

Many Floridians are evacuating, which creates a big traffic jam going north from the peninsula.

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My Black Mountain friend, Sarah Vekasi, and my old neighborhood were on the news this morning (Mon.) 

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Historically, my grandparents lived through the unnamed hurricane of 1900 in Galveston. Tomorrow I'll feature one of the grand old homes which weathered it and still exemplifies great craftsmanship.

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And of course, Oops, there he goes now...Hurricane Milton slowly moves across the Gulf of Mexico

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Monday shows Hurricane Milton churning through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, where it is expected to make landfall midweek.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/AP

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