Dr. Nesmita Das
(The writer is Students’ Counsellor, IIT Guwahati. She can be reached at nesmita.d@iitg.ac.in)
Assam once again experienced floods, an annual feature that residents of the State have been experiencing since time immemorial. Over 40 lakh people in 30 of the 33 districts of the State have been severely affected, besides loss of wildlife, damage to crop and property, snapping off road connectivity and death of people. Flood water destroys most of what it gets contact with. This requires people to relocate themselves in shelter camps and survive on relief materials provided by the government, NGOs, private donations, to name a few. The impact of flood is psycho-social in nature, causing damage at various spheres — physical, social, mental and financial. This leads to distress among the survivors, a universal reaction in the aftermath of any catastrophe (natural/ man-made). The havoc caused by flood every year is beyond description.
The long-lasting psycho-social effects of flood, if not properly attended to, can a pose threat to recovery and rebuilding processes. The feeling of loss of sense of space, security after witnessing their houses collapse and submerged under water is traumatic. The mere idea of rebuilding their homes leads to acute stressed reactions. It strains their psycho-social well- being. However, distress is temporary as most people are resilient and cope with it. Only a minority of people are at risk of developing mental health problems. If a person’s symptoms persist then it requires professional assistance by mental health professionals who can help the person by identifying sources of support which is essential for recovery. Support (formal/informal) is essential during this period. Most people’s need for support is met by persons close to them. Good social support can protect against the negative psycho-social impacts of being flooded.
Experiencing flood and stress following it is known to us but an aspect that gets overlooked is the phase after the water level starts lowering down and people are returning to their homes after months. It is essential to remember that the stress and strain associated with dealing with cleaning up and recovery may also be a problem too. This is particularly the case if recovery and rebuilding is managed poorly by responding agencies. The period after an emergency response has ended and when people must rely on the private sector for continued recovery has been termed as phase of ‘recovery gap’.
The common stressors experienced by survivors during this period are –
Therefore, psycho-social support/psychological first-aid by mental health professionals, volunteers, agencies, community support groups are necessary in addressing the psycho-social needs of the victims affected by flood. Psychological First Aid is not an intervention but is a set of principles and actions that can be performed by anyone. It consists of humane, supportive responses for fellow humans who are suffering and need support. World Health Organization (WHO) has devised Psychological First Aid guide for field workers which can serve as guidance on how to conduct Psychological First Aid.
Key features of the guide are:
Psychological First Aid is a more appropriate response in the early stages of recovery. Similarly, organizing psycho-social community walks in flood-affected areas can also act as an aid to psychological first aid services. This kind of psychological support requires teamwork and collaboration with pubic health agencies, community support groups, hospitals, educational institutes. It’s time the State government took into consideration mental health and well-being of its residents, along with effective implementation of relief-centred policies in place. Crisis intervention policies at State governance level needs to be formulated. Such policies are dire need of the hour so that any crisis of this magnitude can be managed and prevented in near future. The Assam Disaster Management Authority (ADMA) needs to take into consideration the relevance of psycho-social support in rehabilitating flood victims. Rehabilitation programmes should not limit itself to relief centred approach. Hence, it’s time to “walk the talk” and include mental health as a priority in our daily life.
Also read: Assam floods: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar contributes Rs 5 crore for the flood victims