Samantha Ensz
This past weekend, Milwaukee County experienced unprecedented rainfall resulting in a stress to the local drainage systems. Thousands of people in the area found themselves without power, flooded basements, broken foundations, inaccessible roadways, and other forms of harm. When major, harmful weather events occur, it can be overwhelming and a threat to our safety. The aftermath of the event can leave us feeling stuck. You may find yourself thinking “Where do I begin?,” “who do I call about…?,” “I hope my loved ones are safe,” or “how am I going to afford to fix this?”
The scramble of the days following, the overwhelm on everything that has been destroyed and the stress to get back to work and function as normal because the rest of life is still moving can feel paralyzing. If you are in this paralysis or even close – it makes sense. This disaster took us by surprise, as they usually do. But in Wisconsin I don’t think we anticipate anything like this, to see how the community has been impacted is overwhelming.
There are many trying to do all they can to offer support, the Milwaukee community is strong. And yet – there is still a lot of struggle happening these days. Disasters like this understandbly kick up anxiety and uncertainty. If you find yourself trying to figure out what’s happening with you keep reading.
With the thoughts and stress of how to regain normalcy, you may also notice a shift in your mental health. You may experience:
- Distressing thoughts related to the event
- Feelings of shock, confusion, sadness, depression, anger, or irritability
- Feelings of numbness or helplessness
- Trouble concentrating
- A lack of energy
- Fatigue
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Distancing yourself from others or activities you enjoy
- Physical symptoms such as headaches or body pains
- Feeling like you can’t talk to others about your experience
While you may experience some of these reactions, they will subside with time. You will find yourself, with increasing safety making your way back to your baseline of thinking, feeling and functioning.
While it is hard to imagine finding time to take care of yourself – it will help you find your way back to yourself. This may look like:
- Taking care of your basic needs, such as eating, hydrating, exercising, and sleeping
- Engaging in mindfulness activities such as deep breathing, listening to music, meditation, journaling, or talking a walk
- Staying informed about developments and resources that can offer assistance
- Staying connected to loved ones, friends, and neighbors
- Limit unhelpful use of social media or news stories about the disaster
- Avoid the use of alcohol, tobacco, or other substances for coping
- Remind yourself that what you are thinking and feeling is valid and that it is okay to have “good and bad days”
When to Seek Mental Health Services
Living through a natural disaster is scary and people respond in many ways to such experience. There is no right or wrong way to cope with this type of experience. Some people may be at a higher risk of longer-lasting mental health symptoms, including people who experience poverty or domestic violence, first responders, people who have histories of addictions, children, people who have experienced multiple natural disasters, or people with a history of mental health concerns. If you find yourself thinking about the event often, feeling like you are reliving the event, avoiding reminders of the event, feeling negatively about yourself, withdrawing from
people or activities, or noticing a significant change in your mood, it may be time to consider mental health treatment.
Therapy can be helpful for a variety of mental health concerns. In therapy, natural disasters are treated as a traumatic event. It is important to seek a therapist who is trained in mental health conditions related to trauma. At Empowerment Within, LLC, each of our therapists are trauma- informed and specialize in treatment modalities to assist with recovery of trauma. EMDR or Brainspotting can be helpful forms of treatment and are considered “accelerated therapies” for traumatic events.
If you are needing more community resources we have provided a link here to support:
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2025/08/11/a-list-of-flooding-resources-drop-off-sites-for-milwaukee-suburbs/85609184007/
