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Depression is one of the world’s oldest and most common ailments. It can have both physical and psychological symptoms. Millions of Americans are estimated to suffer from depression, a condition so widespread that it has been dubbed “the common cold of mental illness.”

This brochure can t answer all of your questions. The best we can do is to let you know that it is normal to ask questions about why and how such awful things happen. Other people who saw this disaster or who have seen others like it ask the same questions. What we can do is give you some information about the emotional and physical reactions you may have, and give you some tips to help put this event in its proper place in YOUR life.

This disaster has probably caused you to question a number of things that you previously believed about your own safety, the safety of your family and friends, and moral issues of right and wrong behavior. This questioning is a normal reaction to a disaster caused by another human being and it is important that you give yourself time to sort out your feelings and thoughts. Don’t expect easy answers.

One of the instructions you may be given in an emergency where hazardous materials may have been released into the atmosphere is to shelter-in-place. This is a precaution aimed to keep you safe while remaining indoors. (This is not the same thing as going to a shelter in case of a storm.) Shelter-in-place means selecting a small, interior room, with no or few windows, and taking refuge there. It does not mean sealing off your entire home or office building. If you are told to shelter-in-place, follow the instructions provided in this Fact Sheet.

In many cases, stress is accepted as part of daily life, and people do little to cope with it consciously. Although it is impossible to eliminate stress completely and you need a certain amount of stress to be active and productive, there are three ways to reduce unwanted stress or manage it productively:

Wars, shootings in schools, natural disasters, deaths at sporting events—as adults we hope that these and other tragic outcomes will never happen anywhere and definitely will not impact the children and youth we care about. We would like to protect those young minds from the pain and horror of difficult situations. We would like to ensure that they have happy, innocent, and carefree lives. So what is a parent, teacher, or other caring adult to do when disasters fill the airwaves and the consciousness of society?

Posttraumatic stress reaction is a normal response to a distressing event that is outside the range of usual human experience. Disasters are dramatic and intense experiences - major interruptions in the natural flow of life. The emotional effects of these events may show up immediately or they may appear weeks, even months later.

Determining how much information should be shared with children is up to the individual families. A good rule-of-thumb, however, is to try not to overwhelm children at one setting. Allow them to handle the loss in small doses, but be open and honest about what is happening.

Each year fire claims the lives of more than 4,000 Americans, injures tens of thousands, and causes billions of dollars worth of damage. People living in rural areas are more than twice as likely to die in a fire than those living in mid-sized cities or suburban areas. The misuse of wood stoves, portable space heaters and kerosene heaters are especially common risks in rural areas.

Posttraumatic stress reaction is a normal response to a distress­ing event that is outside the range of usual human experi­ence. Disasters are dramatic and intense experiences, especially frightening for the elderly.

Recently your community was struck by fire. Someone died. As you continue to report about the devastating effects of this fire, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the Sleep Products Safety Council (SPSC) encourage you to remind your audience that many fire deaths and injuries are preventable.

Posttraumatic stress reaction is a normal response to a distressing event that is outside the range of usual human experience. Disasters are dramatic and intense experiences - major interruptions in the natural flow of life.

Recently your community was struck by fire. Someone died. As you continue to report about the devastating effects of this fire, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) encourages you to remind your audience that many fire deaths and injuries are preventable.

Disasters create an abrupt change in reality. Following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, for thousands and thousands of people, reality now includes the loss of loved ones  spouses, significant others, children, other relatives, friends, and neighbors. For the millions of people around the world connected to this tragedy only by media coverage, it means the loss of a measure of security and safety and invulnerability. For people who have lived through military actions, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the first World Trade Center disaster, this event brings back memories and emotions they had thought they had dealt with.

Every year nearly 4,000 Americans die in home fires and approximately 25,000 are injured. Children and the elderly are especially at risk in home fires because they are less able to escape when fire strikes. You can improve the chances that your family will survive a home fire by making sure that they can escape quickly if necessary.

Disasters are upsetting to everyone involved. Children, older people, and/or people with disabilities are especially at risk. For a child, his or her view of the world as a safe and predictable place is temporarily lost. Children become afraid that the event will happen again and that they or their family will be injured or killed. The damage, injuries, and deaths that can result from an unexpected or uncontrollable event are difficult for most children to understand.

Children may respond to disaster by demonstrating increased anxiety or emotional and behavioral problems. Some younger children may return to earlier behavior patterns, such as bed wetting and separation anxiety. Older children may react to physical and emotional disruptions with aggression or withdrawal.

Some residents loudly criticize community leaders for not adequately preparing residents for flooding. Local relief workers, feeling their efforts were hampered by red tape, express anger. Victims voice anger toward relief workers both for interfering with their lives and for not doing enough to help.