Natural & climate disasters

The National Center for PTSD says people who directly live through a disaster are most at risk for stronger or longer-lasting stress reactions. Being injured, facing a threat to your life, losing people or property, or being forced to leave home all raise that risk.

Rescue and relief workers, and people far away who follow the news, can be affected too, though usually less often.

SAMHSA says that with good social support and coping skills, most disaster survivors are able to recover and are quite resilient. For those who keep struggling, help is available.

The National Center for PTSD names social support as one of the strongest keys to recovery, along with coping skills, hope and practical resources like housing, work and money.

• Climate anxiety & eco-grief: worry and grief about the changing planet
• Difficult life experiences: survivor’s guilt and other hard experiences
• Grief: caring for yourself after losing someone
• Surviving disasters & life’s big adversities: preparing, the first days, aid and rebuilding
• Trauma & PTSD: when reactions last or get in the way of life

The National Center for PTSD says the first relief of being alive may be followed by distress, fear or anger. People may find it hard to stop thinking about what happened, sleep badly, or feel keyed up and on edge.

Some people feel numb or strangely calm and only feel the impact later. That’s common too.

For most people, stress reactions lessen over the first few weeks. For people who lost a loved one, were injured or had to move, reactions can be stronger and last longer.

SAMHSA says anxiety, sadness and trouble sleeping are the most common responses, along with headaches, stomach aches, and eating more or less than usual.

SAMHSA notes that everyday routines may not return to normal for months, or even years, after a large disaster. Temporary housing and new roles in the family can strain relationships.

Grief may come and go intensely for at least a year if someone lost a loved one. Feeling worse months later doesn’t mean you’re failing. It’s a known part of the road (see “The emotional road of recovery”).

In danger, the body switches into protect mode: a racing heart, sharp focus, trouble resting. After a disaster, that alarm can keep ringing even once you’re safe, especially when reminders like wind, rain or smoke are around.

SAMHSA notes that smells or sounds, such as smoke or sirens, can set off emotional distress at any time.

SAMHSA notes anger is more common in men and self-blame more common in women. Some people keep comparing life now with life before, and many worry about their family’s safety.

For people who have lived through trauma before, a disaster can bring back old memories and make recovery harder.

Emotions often become harder to manage around the time of a warning, and negative feelings grow through the threat and the impact itself.

Some disasters come with days of warning, like hurricanes. Others, like earthquakes, can strike with little or none. Either way, people often replay those hours for a long time.

Right after the impact, many people feel driven to help: pulling neighbors out, sharing food, organizing. Emotions lift as people take part in the response.

In the weeks after, community closeness often peaks. Help is visible, strangers become friends, and many feel hopeful.

SAMHSA describes disillusionment, often spurred by disappointment in the slow pace of recovery. It typically shows up in the second half of the year after the disaster.

This is when news crews leave, aid winds down, and paperwork and waiting take over. Many people feel forgotten, tired or angry.

After the first anniversary, many people move into reconstruction, coming to terms with their “new normal” after the disaster.

Recovery isn’t a straight line. Storm season, a new disaster on the news or an anniversary can bring old feelings back for a while.

In 2024 the U.S. recorded 11 million disaster-related movements, like evacuations and people forced from home, nearly a quarter of the world’s total.

After one major hurricane in Texas, about 1 in 5 adults had a mental health condition 2–5 months later, falling to about 1 in 10 by 14–18 months. Researchers concluded that most people “bounced back”.

Heavy rain, wind warnings and the start of storm season can stir up old fear. Planning ahead for those times can help.

Wildfires can force people to flee in minutes and leave little time to save belongings. Being forced to leave home and losing property both raise the risk of longer-lasting distress.

Seeing a familiar forest or town burned can bring a kind of grief for place. The Climate anxiety & eco-grief guide explores this feeling, sometimes called solastalgia.

A study of California’s 2020 wildfire season found that more wildfire smoke was linked to more emergency visits for mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, in the following days.

Women, children and young adults, Black and Hispanic people, and Medicaid enrollees showed the highest risk in that study.

Smoky days can also mean being stuck indoors, cancelled plans and less contact with others, which can add to stress and loneliness.

Among insured U.S. adults, emergency visits for mental health conditions were about 8% higher on extreme heat days than on comfortable days.

The CDC lists groups at higher risk from heat: older adults, infants and children, people with chronic conditions, people without air conditioning, athletes, outdoor workers and pregnant people.

Earthquakes can strike with little or no warning. Ready.gov advises people to expect aftershocks after the main shock, and each new tremor can set off the body’s alarm again.

Many people feel jumpy at small vibrations, like a passing truck or a door slamming, for a while afterwards. This usually eases as weeks go by.

WHO reports that climate change threatens mental health, including emotional distress, anxiety, depression and grief. Its effects are uneven: income, gender and age all affect who is harmed most.

Many people feel worried about the future even if they haven’t lived through a disaster. That worry shows you care. The Climate anxiety & eco-grief guide has ways to cope.

Living in temporary housing, dealing with insurance and paperwork, and not knowing what comes next can keep stress high for a long time.

SAMHSA notes that changes in living conditions can shift roles and responsibilities in a family and strain relationships.

People may lose photos and keepsakes, neighbors, school, work, and the feeling of “home”. Missing “just things” is normal, because those things held memories and identity.

SAMHSA notes that birthdays and holidays can be especially hard for displaced families, particularly those with money problems or living in temporary housing.

Social support is one of the strongest keys to recovery, but disasters can scatter the very people we lean on. Support can also weaken over time as others return to their own lives.

Staying in touch with old neighbors by phone or group chat, and finding one new place to belong, can soften the loss.

The CDC says infants and toddlers may become crankier, cry more than usual and want to be held and cuddled more.

The CDC says young children may

• Go back to behaviors they had outgrown, like bed-wetting
• Have less interest in playing
• Have tantrums or seem frustrated
• Have trouble sleeping
• Show unusual disobedience
• Stay away from others

The CDC says school-age children may

• Be afraid the event will happen again
• Feel anxious about going back to school
• Feel sad or mad
• Have trouble concentrating
• Have trouble sleeping

Answer questions honestly in words they understand, and gently correct anything they heard that isn’t true.

The CDC says preteens and teens may

• Argue or fight more with family or other adults
• Be overwhelmed by strong emotions and unable to talk about them
• Be scared to leave home
• Respond by acting out
• Show more anxiety or low mood
• Sleep too little or too much
• Spend less time with friends

CDC suggestions

• Give children chances to talk about what they went through
• Encourage questions, and answer honestly at their level
• Get back to normal daily routines
• Limit their exposure to disaster news
• Look after your own stress, because children notice
• Talk with teachers or childcare staff about how they’re doing
• Give children with special needs extra reassurance, explanation and comfort

Helpers may work long hours, see injury and loss, and still go home to their own damaged neighborhood. Many feel they should be the strong ones.

Rest, peer support and talking with someone you trust are part of doing the job well, not a sign of weakness.

Psychological First Aid (PFA) was developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD for the time just after disasters and terrorism. It assumes most people will not develop serious mental health problems, and focuses on easing early distress.

Its core actions

• Making contact in a calm, caring way
• Safety and comfort
• Helping people steady themselves if needed
• Finding out what people need right now
• Practical help
• Connecting people with family, friends and support
• Sharing information about coping
• Linking people with other services

SAMHSA notes that helping others, like volunteering, can be a healthy way to heal for some people.

Volunteers can still be shaken by what they see and hear. Take breaks, eat, sleep, and talk it through with someone afterwards.

SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline is open to first responders, rescue, recovery and relief workers, and clergy, as well as survivors and families. Call or text 1-800-985-5990.

SAMHSA also offers a free Disaster mobile app for responders, with resources and local mental health service information.

SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline supports people with anniversaries and trigger events, not just the disaster itself.

SAMHSA calls these “activating events”. Smells or sounds, like smoke or sirens, can stir up distress at any time, not just on a certain date.

News reports of a new disaster can also remind people of their own past experiences.

SAMHSA suggests

• Accept kindness and help from others
• Be aware that special days may be difficult
• Be gentle with yourself
• Do activities you enjoy, alone or with others
• Draw on your faith or spirituality if that helps you
• Help others, if that feels right
• Talk about your losses with someone you trust

The five essential elements

• A sense of safety
• Calming: soothing and steadying people
• Belief in yourself and your community’s ability to cope
• Connectedness: strong social ties
• Hope for the future

Shared meals, clean-up days, memorials and faith or cultural gatherings can offer several of these at once.

The National Center for PTSD notes that support can be weaker for groups that have been historically excluded or have faced unequal access to resources.

WHO also says the mental health effects of climate change are not shared equally, and income, gender and age shape who is harmed most.

The National Center for PTSD suggests

• Find a quiet time and place to talk
• Help them think through choices, if they want that
• Just be with them, and let them know they’re not alone
• Let them talk without interrupting, as much as you can
• Offer to talk again any time
• Remind them of their strengths and values
• Show interest, attention and care, without judgment

Things you might say

• “It sounds really hard.”
• “No wonder you feel that way.”
• “I’m really sorry this is such a tough time.”
• “What has helped you before when things got hard?”

The National Center for PTSD warns that when friends or neighbors play down someone’s problems, needs or pain, it is strongly linked to long-term distress.

Try not to say

• “At least you got out alive.”
• “Everything happens for a reason.”
• “It could have been worse.”
• “You should be over it by now.”

SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline is for anyone in the U.S. and its territories feeling distress related to a disaster, including anniversaries and reminders. You can call for yourself or for someone else.

• Call or text 1-800-985-5990
• For Spanish, press 2
• Interpreters in over 100 languages
• Deaf and hard of hearing callers can use their preferred relay service

If you’re thinking about suicide or are in emotional crisis, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.

SAMHSA suggests talking with a counselor or mental health professional, or with a trusted faith or spiritual leader if you prefer. At work, human resources or an Employee Assistance Program may be able to help.

Please talk to your clinical provider or therapist about what’s right for you.

Find A Helpline (findahelpline.com) is a free directory of crisis lines around the world, which the International Association for Suicide Prevention points people to.