December 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 39

ter safe, stocked with supplies and
manned by professionals who know
how to comfort residents who are
seeking shelter and care? On its Get
Ready webpage, www.getreadyforflu.
org, the APHA provides a wealth of
resources, including fact sheets covering a variety of disaster situations and
expert advice to help get you and your
agency started with planning.
Signs of Disaster-Related Stress
According to Ready.gov, in disaster situations, " Children, senior citizens, people with access of functional needs and
those for whom English is not their first
language are especially at risk. Children
may become afraid and some elderly
people may seem disoriented at first.
People with access or functional needs
may require additional assistance. "
Reactions to a disaster vary from
person to person, with shock and disbelief, difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, changes in eating habits,
changes in alcohol and tobacco use,
dramatic mood swings, and feelings
of anger, guilt and grief among some
of the most common emotional responses (for a more complete list
of signs, visit www.ready.gov/coping-with-disaster). Depending on
age, a child's emotional responses
can range from irritability, excessive
crying and wanting to held and cuddled more, to a preoccupation with
the details of the event and dangerous, risk-taking behavior. The length
of time these emotions last also varies
from person to person and, according
to the APHA, is often linked to the
severity of the disaster and the magnitude of a community's recovery.
Becoming familiar with signs of disaster-related stress will help park and
recreation professionals react quickly
and deftly when caring for and sheltering residents of all ages and abilities.

Coping Mechanisms
Breathing, relaxation and meditation
exercises, as well as cognitive restructuring - a useful technique for understanding and reframing the negative thinking that we all experience
from time to time - can be helpful in
the midst of a disaster and are easily
adapted to almost any space. Ready.
gov offers the following tips for dealing with disaster-related stress:
* Talk with someone about your feelings
- anger, sorrow and other emotions
- even though it may be difficult.
* Seek help from professional counselors who deal with post-disaster stress.

Building your resilience is another
great tool to help deal with stress-inducing situations, particularly when
the changes you'll be charged with
comforting others is high. Contrary
to popular belief, resilience is not an
inherent trait. The American Psychological Association says, " It involves
behaviors, thoughts and actions
that can be learned and developed
in anyone. " It goes on to say that a
combination of factors contribute
to resilience - the capacity to make
realistic plans and take steps to carry
them out and the capacity to manage
strong feelings and impulses, to name

* Do not hold yourself responsible
for the disastrous event or be frustrated because you feel you cannot
help directly in the rescue work.
* Take steps to promote your own
physical and emotional healing by
healthy eating, rest, exercise, relaxation and meditation.
* Maintain a normal family and daily
routine, limiting demanding responsibilities on yourself and your family.
* Spend time with family and friends.
* Participate in memorials.
* Use existing support groups of family, friends and religious institutions.

a few - but they are attributes people can develop in themselves (visit
www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx for a list of 10 ways to
build resilience).
Being able to recognize the signs
of disaster-related stress in yourself
and your patrons, as well as having some mechanisms for working
through those stresses, are important tools to include in your disaster-preparedness kit.
Sonia Myrick is the Managing Editor of Parks
& Recreation magazine (smyrick@nrpa.org).

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December 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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