Hurricanes, emotional stress, and suicides

[HurryKane]

So...preparing for hurricanes and evacuating, as well as watching them approach at the detriment of your sleep, can wear a person down a great deal. Once people hit severe sleep deprivation and/or suffer sustained emotional trauma they are often react much more strongly to new stresses than they would normally (i.e. the thousand yard stare stage).

Just looking at Cindy, Dennis, Emily-to-be and another possible wave off the CV makes me tired and that it's only July makes me exhausted, and one Pensacola EM official interviewed on TWC said they just can't deal with the emotional toll again.

I can only imagine how the people who were hit by Ivan feel at this minute, or how Floridians felt last year. I never paid attention, but were there any increases in suicides that were attributable to being victims of multiple storms last year? If there were, has any type of program been put into place specifically to help hurricane victims deal with the emotional stresses that accompany storms?

Just curious, my brain got tired of looking at weebles and wobbles and went to the dark side.

[cinlfla]

I'm glad you posted this. I was thinking of the stress that not only the adults have but also the kids. I know first hand how it can affect them after last year my 8 year old son physically shuts down it he thinks a storm is coming

[Bluefrog]

You're right ...cause I will beat the s*** out of the person who stole my sandbags this morning if I find out who did it.

[Scorpion]

Lol its the total opposite for me. Since I am so fascinated by hurricanes, they actually pump me up. I get happy when hurricanes are bearing down. Just the adreneline rush.

[Skywatch_NC]

I remember in Sept. 1999...it was the night when Hurricane Floyd made landfall on NC...my folks and I lived about 2-3 hours from the coast just west of I-95 and I was praying and hoping that my folks would make it in okay as they were traveling home from a reunion at Kentucky Lake...thankfully they made it home before some of the worst effects of Floyd came through our area. They said they saw heavy traffic on the westbound lanes of I-40 as peeps were making their way further inland.

Eric

[rainydaze]

We had a pretty big rainband come through this morning and I got up to see what was going on and my daughter came out of here room and worriedly said: "mom, the window in my room is creaking back and forth...are we getting the hurricane right now?". I told her no, it was just a rainband. But I'll tell ya, after getting 2 hurricanes last year...it's rough. i just think about the things that we had to repair from last year that would happen again. Like: Put up a new fence, replace all the screening in our patio, replace carpet in both kids rooms due to water damage, replace gutters. And that's if we are lucky. Our roof is new and did fine...what if it doesn't next time? Same thing with our patio roof...what if it doesn't hold next time? Not to mention, there is no where to go from here to escape the hurricane. Can't go north or west because that is the direction the canes usually head after they come onshore. Can't go south because it might come in to the south. And let's not even forget that there is NO GAS what-so-ever, before or after the storm.
And of coure, the number one reason to get depressed over hurricane season.....It's only JULY 9th!! AAHHHHHHHHHHH.....

[Cookiely]

You're right ...cause I will beat the s*** out of the person who stole my sandbags this morning if I find out who did it.

I can relate to what you are saying because someone came on our porch and stole water last year before Charley. The last time I filled sandbags there were so many people that one of them hit me in the back of the head with a shovel, and the crazy part was it was my shovel that I had lent to that person. It always amazes me that people don't bring shovels with them.
Sorry about losing your sandbags.