Psychological Impact Of Hurricane Maria
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Not only is there physical damage to Puerto Rico and those around, there is a ton of emotional suffering. Psychological needs for those who were affected by Hurricane Maria sound really simple, but people really just need to be listened to. It doesn’t have to be a mental health specialist; the community just needs someone to talk to that is there to listen. They want to feel like people care about them, and that they matter. They want to be understood and validated for what happened to them. The people also just need people to reassure them that things will get better with time. There needs to be a group individuals to help the community be hopeful and identify resources they can use to help improve themselves. The community needs to be shown self-care strategies. Of course, there are still going to be people who still need water, food, a roof over their head, the basic needs, because how can you feel safe without all of those resources? But the emotional suffering is something that really needs to be taken into consideration.
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Just because Hurricane Maria is not really talked about as much anymore as it was when it first occurred, does not mean that people are no longer suffering, because they very much indeed are still suffering due to the aftermath of the storm. The psychological needs for people who live in Puerto Rico has increased as well as the demands for more aid for the people living there.