Coping with Floyd

Coping With Floyd

The first thing survivors of Hurricane Floyd will need is "three squares and a place to sleep," says UAB psychiatrist Doug Sargent, M.D. After that comes the need to assimilate the changes that violent weather can bring.

Sargent says storms such as Floyd can completely disrupt a well-planned future, financially and emotionally. "We see people with survivor guilt, and others plaintively asking 'why me'. Returning to a normal routine and having the support of others who've been there is important."

Sargent, also a Red Cross volunteer counselor following extreme weather, says other keys are the time and the opportunity to put the event in perspective.

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