Emotional and Mental Health Recovery Following Hurricane Ian

This post will be one of several posts about an often overlooked aspect of hurricane disasters—the emotional and mental health of everybody involved with the hurricane. I strongly encourage readers to visit this important topic in, The Emotional Toll of Hurricanes, where I remarked:

It is hard to predict the path of a hurricane. It is not so difficult to predict the physical and emotional harm caused by these monsters. While this blog and what our law firm does is primarily about financial recovery, it is important for everybody to understand that emotional recovery is just as significant.

Doug Quinn of the American Policyholders Association (APA) has been talking and corresponding with me on this topic. He stated:

Disaster Trauma is something we see in every disaster. It impacts every population we engage with affected by the disaster. It’s the mental health crisis that no one talks about.

We are all busy with the practical functions of recovery: cleaning up, fighting insurers for a fair claim, rebuilding our homes. But, no one talks about the hidden mental health crisis that is quietly destroying families behind the scenes. It’s very isolating: victims suffer in silos and because it’s not openly discussed, people think they are the only ones experiencing these issues.

Of the 125 deaths from Hurricane Ian, 3 are suicides…and it’s still early. Wait until victims have languished for years through the slow dysfunctional recovery. Many Hurricane Ian survivors will lose hope & there will be more deaths.

Doug Quinn shared many academic papers with me and made numerous comments which I will share later. He was a disaster policyholder victim and has a lot of empathy for those suffering.

One paper he shared was an excellent article written by public adjuster Sarah Parker: Are You OK? The Silent Burden of Property Insurance Claims. She warns:

Insurance professionals are face to face with many types of property losses, every day. However, many do not realize that they are also exposed to emotional losses, vicariously.

Please take a few minutes and read Sarah Parker’s article.

Thought For The Day

Read Sarah Parker’s article.