Hailing from Long Beach, NY, it is an understatement to say that I truly experienced the full-blown effects of Hurricane Sandy. Between the week of no electricity during the winter, the communal meals at the local Synagogue, and the countless families that had to relocate because their homes were left in ruins; the effects of Sandy took a major toll on the people of Long Beach.
I will never forget driving through the desolate streets and seeing the once beautiful, scenic town completely overturned. Broadway Street, parallel to what used to be a functioning boardwalk, stood as a disastrous mess. On the west end of Long Beach the notion of recovery was overwhelming. Streets and cars were buried in 6 feet of ocean sand. Homes that were drenched in a tidal surge ended up a total loss. The residential streets were flooded with the contents of peoples’ homes demolished by the hurricane. The town I once called home looked unrecognizable.
The hurricane was underrated— no one was prepared for the extent of damage that it caused. As one Long Beach official noted, “The cost of rebuilding is staggering… it will cost $200 million just to get the sand off the roads and back on the beach.” There are families that were literally left homeless— according to Mayor Bloomberg, an estimated 40,000 New Yorkers. For most, especially those in the upper and middle class, it was a shocking condition. The circumstances were so horrific that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) went door to door to check on residents’ health and safety. The Army National Guard handed out meals, water, and blankets to large families.
Although people are aware of the physical damage and destruction that Sandy caused, few are aware of the extent of peoples’ suffering. Many victims of the storm suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or as the victims call it, “Post Traumatic Sandy Disorder”. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe condition that may develop after a person is exposed to one or more traumatic events, such as sexual assault, serious injury or the threat of death. The diagnosis is given when the following symptoms are present: disturbing recurring flashbacks, avoidance or numbing of memories of the event, and high levels of anxiety that continue for more than a month after the traumatic event. Effectively, the victims of the super storm, who have already battled destruction of their homes and health issues from mold and injuries, are now trying to battle this medical condition as well.
The symptoms and side-effects extend well beyond mental state, and also affect the victim’s physical and emotional state. These include avoiding activities that were once enjoyable, feeling glum about the future, experiencing difficulty maintaining close relationships, irritability or anger, guilt, self-destructive behavior, and trouble sleeping. People with PTSD are at a higher risk of other mental health problems and illness, including: depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts and actions, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, autoimmune diseases, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Furthermore, a study published a few years ago in BMC Psychiatry discovered that pregnant women who endure psychological stress associated with PTSD are more likely to give birth to a child who develops schizophrenia. According to lead authors of the study, Dolores Malaspina M.D., M.Sc.P.H., Anita Steckler, and Joseph Steckler, “The stresses in question are those that would be experienced in a natural disaster such as an earthquake or hurricane, a terrorist attack, or a sudden bereavement”. Data collected from 88,829 people born in Jerusalem from 1964 to 1976, confirms these findings. Researchers discovered that the offspring of women who were in their second month of pregnancy during the height of the Six Day War displayed a significantly higher incidence of having schizophrenic children over the subsequent years. Malaspina explains that “the placenta is very sensitive to stress hormones in the mother.” Therefore, a stressful situation such as a natural disaster could not only psychologically harm people that experience the event, but also fetuses in utero.
In order to deal with the psychological trauma many are experiencing, several local organizations in Long Beach have been formed. Project Hope is one of them. The Hope Organization aims to deal with any sort of mental trauma that the storm may have caused for people, ranging from young adolescents to adults. Additionally, a confidential hotline has been instituted for those who seek help and are in need of advice and support. Of course, all of these resources are free of charge.
So although it is a year after the storm and most people assume that the damages have been recovered, they are mistaken. There are still debts to be repaid, homes to be rebuilt, and even worse, permanent or long-term psychological trauma caused by the storm. And although most of us are students and the effects of the storm may have been experienced to different degrees, the best we can do is to be aware. Be aware that there were professionals who lost their jobs, businesses were forced to close, countless families were left with little to nothing, and even now, there are still those of us who are feeling the sting. So the next time I take a late-night run on the recently newly rebuilt boardwalk (which, by the way, took an estimated 44 million dollars to rebuild), I take a moment to think. I slow down, pull out my headphones, and look around. It is then that I realize that you don’t fully appreciate what you have until the thing that is most essential to you is pulled out from right under your feet—literally.