Often unspoken and overlooked, disasters can impact mental health

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – In times of natural disasters and trauma, the physical needs of a community are important. But addressing the emotional well-being of victims, volunteers, and first responders is equally vital.

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“People are walking into very traumatic sites and have a lot of stressful feelings,” Hawaiʻi Department of Health mental health supervisor and clinical social worker Kathleen Merriam said.

A washed-out cemetery with scattered human remains is among the many areas of devastation in Nāʻālehu. Communities have gone without food, water, and electricity for days.

Some are angered as they ponder who’s to blame for the destruction. The mental load can be heavy for those who carry it.

“It’s really important to be able to take the time to talk to one another about what’s going on,” Merriam said.

Dedicating her career to mental health, Merriam says everyone processes grief and trauma differently.

“It’s not linear. I think that each of us kind of go through these stages. We can pop back and forth in them. We can go through this denial that it’s so shocking we cannot believe it. We can go through the grieving process,” she said.

Department of Health staff are on Hawaiʻi Island offering support and counseling at the Nāʻālehu Elementary School Gymnasium.

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“We wanna make it easy for people just to come in and share their reactions their feelings and to connect with each other. It’s really about connection,” Merriam said.

She also wants people to look past the stigma of discussing mental health, and focus on the real impacts it can have.

“Just as we wanna pay attention to, ‘Am I drinking water? Am I eating? Am I sleeping?’ to think about, ‘Am I also processing a bit of what’s going on who can I talk to?’” Merriam said.

All of this applies not only to victims, but also the hard-working volunteers and first responders helping their communities.

“We have to nurture ourselves in a way that can build us back up after we are … giving away all this energy,” she said.

The state’s 988 crisis line is available around the clock for additional support.

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