For weeks people living in Southwest Florida have been glued to their phones, televisions and computers tracking the developments of Hurricanes Helene and Milton as the storms created extensive storm surge damage along the coast and even inland waterways which backed up creating flooding neighborhoods.
Many people have reported suffering from post-traumatic stress as a result of both storms and their damages.
Dr. Tom Hoffman, a behavioral health expert with Lee Health, warns getting past the fear and the storm can be a problem for many people.
“Anybody that feels like they're having difficulty coming out of that state of emergency in their head or emotions are heightened to a point where they feel it’s affecting the quality of life is a time to get help,” Hoffman warned.
Hurricanes Helene and Milton left a path of destruction across Florida but health experts say it’s what we don’t see that's causing them a concern now.
Powerful emotions are raging for many people after they continue the cleanup and struggle to return to normal.
Joyce Sass of Bokeelia met with her healthcare provider, Dr. Sue Hook, a nurse practitioner, on Wednesday, a week after the storm and she described getting off Pine Island during the storm as a nightmare as she escaped Milton’s wrath.
“As we were going off the island the tornado had just hit. The power lines were lying across the road. That's scary having to drive across that,” Joyce said.
When asked by Hook, of Samaritan Health Clinic, where she thought her level of post-traumatic stress might be a week later, Joyce said it was still off the charts and so serious she is considering moving off the island after multiple storms have left her with extreme anxiety.
It is a reality that pushed Sass to the breaking point as she wiped tears from her eyes talking about her emotions post-Milton.
“Right now, everything is scary and I feel so bad for the people. Because my house is good. I feel so bad for the people that have lost it and have to go through it again,” Joyce explained.
Sass said she had wanted to cry something, something she had not done until she confronted the past week’s emotions that she had been bottling up trying to stay strong for her family members and pets.
“I think it is getting to me right now,” Joyce said as tears streamed down her face.
Hook told her that crying was a good thing and urged her to express her emotions so that she could continue with the rest of her day.
But when Joyce was asked what does she do to bring down her anxiety?
“I don't have an answer for that right now,” she responded.
Hook urged Joyce to try and return to a schedule however Joyce said that was difficult since work was her normal routine but explained she lost her business in the storms.
“I have an office in Matlacha and my office got flooded, now three times,” she explained.
“We have this whole mental health storm going on pre and post Milton,” Hook said.
It’s a storm Hook warned could last a while longer for many people.
“We're all riding this wave of all it's not the end of hurricane season yet,” Hook said.
Joyce said she wanted to get away and find someplace quiet after an earsplitting week and it was that advice that Hook herself had taken this past weekend following the storm.
“It was giving me a lot of peace to just sit outdoors when the sun came out and watch the birds,” she responded.
Both women said they felt better after simply talking about their experiences and feelings.
Acute stress reaction can include feeling:
- Depressed or anxious mood.
- Avoidance of anything that reminds them of the storm.
- Sleep problems including bad or anxious dreams.
- Irritability or feeling on edge.
- Difficulty concentrating or not taking pleasure in anything.
- Having intrusive disturbing memories of the disturbing event.
Mental health experts agree that if you're still feeling overwhelmed with grief or anxiety the best thing to do is reach out for help.