The OP Review November 2005 - Ohio Psychological Association

Ohio Psychologists Respond to Hurricanes
By Kurt Jensen, PsyD, Disaster Response Network Coordinator
I
n recent weeks, hundreds of Ohio psychologists and
mental health professionals have responded in the
aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Included in
this group were dozens of OPA psychologists who provided
consultation, assessment and counseling services–both locally
and nationally–to assist victims of these disasters. Many of
these volunteers were mobilized through OPA’s Chapter of
APA’s Disaster Response Network (DRN), working with the
American Red Cross to provide support to those hardest hit by
the hurricanes.
Dr. Michael Dwyer, a professor at Baldwin-Wallace College
(B-W) in Berea, was one OPA member who responded in a
prompt and focused manner following Hurricane Katrina’s strike
in New Orleans. Dr. Dwyer helped organize a planning
committee at B-W, comprised of a team of students, teachers
and staff charged with developing a strategic, multi-level
response. He coordinated the development of a Web site that
served as the information and coordination center for B-W’s
relief activities. The college has sent teams of 20 students to
the disaster site, raised thousands of dollars through student
and private donors and “adopted” a small town of 1,200
outside of Gulfport, Mississippi.
At least three previous OPA presidents–Drs. James Brush,
Ken Drude and Donald Freedheim–also worked at the local
level to assist Hurricane survivors. Dr. Brush worked for two
days in Cincinnati where they took in hundreds of evacuees,
coordinated relief services and linked families with the agencies
that could help with housing, financial and other immediate
needs. Dr. Drude helped families arriving at the Dayton Red
Cross Chapter, working with family service workers to hook
up families with resources that could provide housing, food,
clothing and healthcare services. Dr. Freedheim worked with
the Cleveland chapter where he assisted in setting up a
shelter for displaced families from areas hardest hit by
Hurricane Katrina.
Three OPA members, including myself, were among the many
psychologists deployed to major cities along the Gulf coast.
Shortly after Katrina’s strike, Dr. Jim Broyles traveled to Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, where he worked for several days in a shelter
for evacuees. Dr. Todd Finnerty helped in several shelters at
about the same time, primarily in Gulfport and Biloxi,
Mississippi. There, he assisted Red Cross personnel as they
transitioned from primarily school-based shelters to larger,
community-based centers. As occurred in many shelters
along the coast, Dr. Finnerty met many visiting celebrities
including Andy Garcia, Daisy Fuentes, Gloria Estefan and
Tommy Lasorda.
I worked primarily at a shelter in Bayou LaBatre, Alabama,
housed in a convention center just outside of Mobile. Although
initially, residents had greatest need for food, shelter and
clothing, additional needs and concerns soon surfaced.
Psychosocial and stress-related issues were ever-present, and
“psychological first aid” was provided to residents and staff
alike. Linking the shelter inhabitants with local, state and
national relief agencies was a continual process, and many
local volunteers provided much-needed assistance. As many
of my colleagues reported, the opportunity to help survivors
of the Hurricane and to work in concert with so many highly
trained professionals was a richly rewarding experience.
Opportunities to work in areas crippled by Hurricanes Katrina
and Rita continue, as the communities devastated by these
storms are expected to need aid for months, if not years, to
come. To learn more about how you can volunteer, please
contact me through OPA or call your local Red Cross chapter
for additional information. For resources and online links
related to managing traumatic stress and developing resilience,
check out APA’s postings at www.APAHelpCenter.org.
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