I think this is directly connected to our collective COVID-19 experiences. It has been a long-haul disaster and much has been written about the impact to public health officials, but I’ve not seen much as it pertains to emergency managers.
Disasters can cause acute stress as we surge for a disaster and live through the experience, sometimes with our own families and properties being impacted.
COVID-19 was a different kettle of fish, a really long drawn out event with other natural disasters boosted into the mix of events that were all going on simultaneously.
It was during an earthquake back in 2001 when I took advantage of having a massage therapist to come in and offer their volunteer services to anyone who needed to de-stress from multiple days of long activation.
One other county emergency manager poked fun at our taking advantage of the offer, but in retrospect I think it made a lot of sense.
It is totally appropriate for our discipline to take a look at the stresses that are building on emergency management as a profession. Climate change and the rapid advancement in frequency, and I’ll say duration, of these disasters will really become a significant mental health issue.
