What you can do to put your life back together after a disaster…
Have you or a loved one been affected by a natural disaster? If so, please read this. It may help you sort things out after the storm.
Here are some things you need to do.
Wait to return home!
Wait to return home until you are allowed. No matter how tempted you are to try to get back to your home before you are allowed, you need to wait until it is safe to do so!
When you get home…
Check your food to make sure it is safe to eat! Also check your home for safety issues such as critter infestations (which spread germs), electrical issues, and mold.
The Center for Disease Control found evidence that mold can cause respiratory issues in otherwise and previously healthy people. Upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, and increase in asthma symptoms in asthmatics have all been linked to exposure to mold. There has been some evidence that exposure to indoor mold causes shortness of breath, respiratory illness in otherwise healthy children, and the development of asthma.
Especially if you or your loved one has asthma, find another place to stay until the mold has been removed from your home.
Beware of Scam Artists!
Scam artists abound like ants in woodwork after a disaster. Once current such scam in Florida has been noted in Okaloosa County. Someone has been contacting residents claiming an urgent need for you to help them by purchasing an iTunes or Visa gift card. There are also IRS scams, jury duty scams, and grandparent scams.
With the Jury Duty scam, someone calls you on the phone and asks for money and/or threatens arrest for failure to respond to a jury duty summons. Hang up the phone! The Sheriff’s Department would never contact anyone in this manner!
In the Grandparent scam, someone calls you claiming to be an attorney for your grandchild asking for money. Hang up the phone!
There are many other scams. If anyone you do not know contacts you, verify his or her credentials with a regulatory agency and call back once you verify the credentials!
Go to this website to check out scams that have been reported in your area and to report any scams you discover:
https://action.aarp.org/site/SPageNavigator/FraudMap.html?cmp=EMC-DSM-NLC-MBA-MEM-20170911_MBU_CTRL_243900_285601-091117-F5-Fraud_Watch_Network-Text-CTRL-2398583&encparam=NW4zMjX6B8xzLmdrOO/R//qSHhTAWw96aFuJT24fy3Q=
Get the help you and your family need!
After a disaster, many people develop PTSD and depression and anxiety, including children. Be aware of the symptoms, especially in children. Click here if you do not know the symptoms. Get the help you need when you need it, even if you must go to the Emergency Room!
When I was a child, a disaster hit my hometown. I was 4 years old and I still remember it like it was yesterday. I do not have PTSD because my Grandma very lovingly helped me through that difficult time. But had she not been there for me, I would definitely have developed PTSD after that storm.
There is no shame in asking for help for anything you need, counseling or help with food and other basic needs. Do not be too shy or ashamed to ask for the help you and your loved ones need!
***
It is hard to recover your life after a disaster. You just have to live one moment at a time, and worry only about today. Tend to the emotional needs of yourself and your loved ones. And do not be afraid to ask anyone for help!
Soar like an eagle in the aftermath of the storm! Live as wisely as possible!
Let the encouraging words in these near a river posts help you
soar like an eagle above life’s storms.
Here is one answer to our drug crisis…
Do you believe the impossible can be done?
What is paper-thin love and why is it not good for our society?
The most powerful forces in the universe are love and positive thinking!
