Immediately afterwards, several regions were affected by the floods […]we came up with the idea to create a questionnaire and interview 3,400 people living in affected locations across Quebec.
She explains.
This survey was sent out eight to ten months after the events. Despite the time that had passed, the mental suffering of many people who had been inundated still persisted
‘ says the professor.
Among other things, his team measured verifiable post-traumatic stress symptoms in respondents.
Of course, these are not diagnoses, but people who have had a cluster of symptoms such as nightmares, avoidance, and difficulty seeing pictures. […] We still have 44% of people affected by floods telling us they had multiple symptoms eight to 10 months later
says dr Genereux.
” There are also more people in the group who were flooded […] who reported anxiety disorders, medically diagnosed depression, and even higher alcohol consumption than our control group. »
Usually in a crisis context you see that all the attention is focused on the crisis in the days, maybe even in the following weeks. However, this is not the time when most disaster victims seek help. You have to understand that these people are trapped in a maze of procedures. […] All of this takes a lot of energy, which is why people usually only realize how badly affected they are and that they need help in the months that follow.
She adds.
Accompany the victims
Municipalities that want to support their citizens in overcoming the crisis have solutions at their disposal.
In some communities or in some regions we have seen great approaches being implemented, particularly by the CISSSs and CIUSSSs concerned. Develop a dedicated team that is genuinely in the community, meeting with those affected, not waiting for people to suffer too much. […] Municipalities and regions that have implemented such an approach seem to perform better in the long term from a psychological point of view.
asks Dr. Genereux feast.
Hiring a support person to help disaster victims through the maze of flood-related administrative tasks, such as B. calling insurers can also make a difference, she says. It helps tremendously. Victims take away some really important stress, and that often makes the difference between someone experiencing stress and someone developing anxiety or post-traumatic stress.
Award-winning entrepreneur. Baconaholic. Food advocate. Wannabe beer maven. Twitter ninja.
