ORLANDO, Fla. — Emotions can be all over the place following a natural disaster like Hurricane Ian. You can be angry over damage, grateful things aren’t worse, guilty that others are suffering, worried about the next storm and so many other feelings.
Dwight Bain, a nationally certified counselor and critical incident recovery expert, compiled a “Natural Disaster Recovery Guide” detailing psychological strategies to rebuild after Hurricane Ian.
“Keep this single thought in mind as you begin to sort through the process of stabilizing yourself and those you care about who have been impacted by the storm,” Bain said.
Bain encourages people to deal directly with their emotions to reduce tension and stress, which allows them to have more energy to deal with a difficult situation.
Bain said following natural disasters, it’s possible to develop a rapid build-up of psychological symptoms referred to as “Storm Stress Syndrome.”
The symptoms include any dramatic change in emotions, behavior, thought patterns or physical symptoms over the next few days, weeks, or perhaps even months, based on the level of traumatic exposure.
“Natural disasters are an intensely stressful time for everyone, both during and after the storm, and there are several factors to be aware of to keep yourself and those who you care about safe,” Bain said.
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods National Guardsmen transport meals ready-to-eat to a community cut off by flooding in the wake of Hurricane Ian near the Peace River on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods Travel trailers are inundated by floodwaters at the Peace River Campground on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods Mack Martin walks along train tracks surrounded by floodwaters at the Peace River on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods An Okeechobee County sheriff's deputy watches a tractor-trailer drive down a flooded street to reach a community cutoff of by floodwaters from the Peace River in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods People ride on an airboat along Peace River in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods People walk along a road closed to vehicle traffic due to flooding from the Peace River in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods A Peace River campground is shown flooded in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods An ice and water machine sits in floodwaters in the wake of Hurricane Ian at the Peace River Campground on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods National Guardsmen move cases of water near a flooded road in the wake of Hurricane Ian near the Peace River on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Photos: Days after Hurricane Ian, inland Florida still reeling from floods Utility trucks line up at a road block due to flooding from the Peace River in the wake of Hurricane Ian on October 4, 2022, in Arcadia, Florida. Fifty miles inland, and nearly a week after Hurricane Ian made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the record-breaking floodwaters in the area are receding to reveal the full effects of the storm. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.
