Five Years Later: Hurricane Dorian’s indelible mark (part 3)
Five years after Hurricane Dorian, survivors like Shervante Nixon still struggle with lingering trauma, prompting initiatives like the D6 project and the Bahamas Psychological Association to focus on improving mental health support and community resilience.
Forging a Resilient Future: Mental Awareness, Acceptance, and Climate Justice
“Are you okay?”
It’s a simple question that caused a bubbly Shervante Nixon to falter. The façade she proudly wore in her previous responses cracked under the vulnerability of what I asked her to feel rather than remember. Her resolve to continue prompted a recovery just as quickly.
“We thought it was going to be so simple and just pass on by after one, two days max… but, in the blink of an eye everything changed. It switched to something else, and we started to have that wind, really hitting and really knocking… My brother had a panic attack. He was the only man in the house other than my son. There was no option b or c. It was a trying time mentally and physically.”
“I’m trying to dig deep into my mindset to bring back what I’ve pushed behind,” she said. “What I’ve tried so hard to forget.”
Like hundreds of other survivors, the fallout after Dorian continues.
“Sometimes when it rains, if it gets too hard or if the wind starts knocking against the windows too much, it brings back those memories, and you think to yourself, ‘is this another hurricane?’ and you want to say no, it’s just rain but, because you thought that before and you were very wrong, you can’t see anything the same anymore.
“You will always have this guard up now because what if it isn’t nothing? What if it’s something else? What do I do? It could have been worse; it could have been a lot worse. I have a friend who lost his whole arm. I have another friend who still, to this day, has steel in his arms and legs. For some of us, Dorian is still happening.”
Nixon’s reaction is one of many described by The Bahamas Psychological Association (BPA) as a long-term impact of the hurricane.
“The long-term psychological impacts of experiencing a major disaster can present themselves differently for various individuals,” noted Mrs. Kennita Saunders-Kemp, M.Sc., a BPA clinical mental health counsellor. “Individuals may experience recurring nightmares of the event, loss of interest, profound grief, vivid flashbacks, intense distress when it rains/thunder, refusal to engage in activities that they once enjoyed such as showers, physical sensations such as trembling, sweating, intrusive thoughts.
“Due to these ongoing symptoms, a mental health professional can diagnose the individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) once it fits the criteria.”
Juggling the emotional and mental chaos Dorian left with the immediate and consistent shift into survival mode due to the need to rebuild has proven challenging for many residents of the Abacos and Grand Bahama.
“No one was really able to prepare for Dorian or ‘Category Hell’ as it was described by the UN (United Nations) Secretary-General,” stated Iram Lewis. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commented back in September 2019 when he visited The Bahamas after the storm to observe its aftermath and destruction.
“A lot of lives were lost during the storm,” he recounted. “Many persons didn’t see how risky it was and stayed in areas where evacuation orders were given and, unfortunately, innocent lives including children. I know one incident in Queenstown where a father and two of the children were washed away… never to be seen again.
“Having gone through Jeanne, Frances, Floyd, Wilma, and Dorian, I can say that Grand Bahamians are some of the most resilient people in this country. A lot of places have given up, but the majority, we ride it out and we rebuild. Unfortunately, that’s the position we have being in the hurricane corridor. But we are resilient, and we are a set of people who don’t roll. It is a struggle, and [Dorian] is something that I don’t think we ever want to see again. It taught us some lessons, that you can never be too careful, you can never prepare too much, and always expect the unexpected. It exposed our weaknesses and allowed us now to be able to close whatever gaps that would have been exposed as a result.”
Still, resilience has come at a high cost, a cost that is slowly being paid down through fellowship and transparency.
One notable aspect is the growing yet crucial emphasis on mental health and psychosocial support. Initially, the Bahamas Red Cross Society deployed volunteers trained in counselling to provide support to evacuees in New Providence. By mid-October 2019, this service had reached 782 people, including men, women, children, and adolescents.
Today, efforts to underscore the importance of addressing the psychological impacts of the disaster are being championed by persons like Dr Juliette Storr, professor emerita at Pennsylvania State University and former University of The Bahamas professor of journalism and communication, who, in collaboration with the Bahamas Psychological Association and a team of young creatives, have developed a project, Category D6 (D6), to raise awareness about a growing global problem, disaster mental health.
“The D6 project, an educational documentary film series and community engagement program, focuses first on disaster mental health and environmental sustainability in the aftermath of hurricane Dorian and COVID-19,” Dr. Storr explained. “The series of films also examines an array of mental health issues, including building resources for growing mental health needs. Our first film, ‘We Are Not Okay’ is scheduled to be released at the end of 2024. The film’s purpose is to educate citizens of The Bahamas, the Caribbean, and the world on issues of mental health, especially after disasters, and raise awareness about the level of threat that exists for people in small developing countries like ours, where, because of climate change, natural disasters are increasing in strength, duration, and speed.
“More disasters mean increases in mental health issues as people deal with overwhelming loss—loss of lives, economies, homes, and communities. Survivors’ stories powerfully remind us that environmental sustainability includes issues of mental health. Resources must be provided to handle the long-term psychological and social challenges that people face many years after the disaster. We hope people will support our project by visiting our website, categoryd6.com, where you can contact us to become involved with the project or donate.”
For Nixon, the D6 project is a balm for many Dorian survivors, giving some an outlet to express their feelings after the storm.
“Now, when it comes down to Juliette’s team, I truly appreciate what they are doing even as simple as asking, ‘Are you okay?’,” Nixon noted. “A lot of people here in Abaco want to forget it so we don’t really ask each other, ‘Are you okay’ after the storm because we all were there. We all know just how hard and horrible it was and we all know how people were lost, and we do not want to trigger each other.”
“Her coming in and asking, are you okay? What can be done for you? The question is truly helpful. Here on the island, no one knows where really to go when it comes down to figuring out how to deal with the trauma, the stress, the mental part of it, and just being okay. When you ask people how it was, they start tearing up.”
Since Dorian, the BPA has activated four helplines for survivors and an additional two after the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to an ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness for ongoing mental health services for Grand Bahama and The Abacos, the organization received help from the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Network (MHPSS).
“It involves local coordinating groups to coordinate activities and to facilitate the sharing of information between stakeholders… and its goals focus to include mental health and psychosocial support activities through continuous coordination and communication by meeting on a bi-monthly basis,” noted Saunders-Kemp.
The journey from the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Dorian to the ongoing recovery efforts highlights the resilience of the Bahamian people and the importance of addressing systemic vulnerabilities. As The Bahamas rebuilds, the focus on mental health support and resilient reconstruction will be crucial in ensuring that all communities are better prepared for future disasters. While challenges remain, the progress made offers hope and a blueprint for other nations facing similar threats.
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