Community Trauma Assessment Paper

Delaware’s April 1, 2023 Tornado

Delaware State recently experienced a huge tornado, causing vast damage, deaths, and trauma in the community. On April 1, 2023, the state of Delaware, got a tornado of 700 yards in width. It was considered the largest tornado in the recent past. It was ranked EF-3 on a scale of 0 to 5 used to determine tornado intensity. It has estimated wind speed of 140mph.  The state had only encountered a tornado of such magnitude in April 28, 1961. Two previous tornados that occurred on July 21, 1983 were rated F2 (Stillman, 2023). The April 1 tornado left miles of damage from Bridgeville to Ellendale and a few fatalities in Sussex county. Besides, it caused psychological trauma on the community and concerns about the safety of the area (Delaware Department of State, 2023)Community Trauma Assessment Paper. The rest of this paper reflects on the community’s reaction, source, and implications. Lastly, it outlines an intervention plan for affected individuals and the community.

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Reflection on Delaware’s Tornado Impact on Community

The reaction of most people in the community when the tornado stroke was of fear and shock. Days after the event majority of people feared for their lives, particularly those who lived near the coastline. They had firsthand experience of the damages. Also, they had survived death. They were also shocked that the place they had called home for years had been reduced to a rampage. Basic amenities and utilities, such as electricity, transportation networks, and water supplies had been cut off and affected individuals and families had to turn to government responders and well-wishers for assistance (Delaware Department of State, 2023)Community Trauma Assessment Paper.

The Delaware’s community’s reactions stemmed from their disbelief. Post-traumatic stress or PTSD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5^th Edition (DSM-5) classification occurs when an individual encounters a near death experience, actual death, violence, or physical injury, causing psychological distress.  Persons with PTSD are likely to have fear, avoidance behavior, and can be in shock (Muldoon et al., 2018)Community Trauma Assessment Paper. The community in Delaware feared for their safety in the state following the tornado. They also wondered about the future, especially those whose homes and enterprises were destroyed. Overall, their review of the event and the long-term consequences elicited shock and fear.

The implications of the Delaware’s tornado included stimulation of the community’s disaster preparedness. The community members had experienced the impact of the tornado. They had encountered losses, including fatalities. They needed to be vigilant and adopt sound disaster planning and management locally and statewide. Also, some felt they needed on-site psychotherapists to provide immediate help to those severely traumatized by the tornado. Such services could improve coping and speed the community’s recovery (Delaware Department of State, 2023)Community Trauma Assessment Paper.

Intervention Plan

The intervention I would recommend as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) for this community is on-site psychotherapy. The immediate psychotherapy services should include assessment using the DSM-5 criteria, counselling, and referral for further treatments (Alto et al., 2021).  I would visit the site, introduce myself and my profession.  I would build rapport with the locals to initiate a therapeutic relationship. Next, I would assess individuals who need help and provide immediate counselling to enhance their coping. I will also refer traumatized persons to various psychotherapy services to ensure their full recovery. I would implement this intervention plan in collaboration with other responders and rescue agencies to facilitate continued mental health care for the community.

References

Alto, M. E., Nicasio, A. V., Stewart, R., Rodriguez-Sanfiorenzo, T. D., Gonzalez-Elias, G., & Orengo-Aguayo, R. (2021). Provision of mental health services immediately following a natural disaster: Experiences after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Journal of Emergency Management, 19(8), 167-175. https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0634. Community Trauma Assessment Paper

Delaware Department of State (2023, Apr 2). State and local agencies respond to severe weather and tornado damage. Delaware.gov. https://news.delaware.gov/2023/04/02/state-and-local-agencies-respond-to-severe-weather-and-likely-tornado/.

Muldoon, O. T., Haslam, A., Haslam, C., Cruwys, T., Kearns, M., & Jetten, J. (2018). The social psychology of responses to trauma: Social identity pathways associated with divergent traumatic responses. European Review of Social Psychology, 30(1), 311-348. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2020.1711628.

Stillman, D. (2023, Apr 4). Deadly and destructive Delaware tornado was state’s widest on record. The Washington’s Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/04/04/delaware-tornado-bridgeville-ef3-widest/Community Trauma Assessment Paper.

Community Trauma Event
Delaware Tornado

The state of Delaware is considered a relatively safe place to live. It is not the usual scene of a natural disaster, as the state does not usually have hurricanes, floods, tornados, mudslides, or wildfires. Delaware has had approximately 70 tornado touchdowns since recordings of such events started in the late 1600’s. Most tornados are relatively mild with most being EF-0 to EF-1 and there have only ever been two related deaths, related to one EF-3 tornado in the 1980’s. However, in April of 2023, the EF-3 tornado that touched down was the largest on record in the state, resulting in one fatality and a 14-mile path of destruction. The recent event has left the community shaken and wondering if Delaware is truly still a safe place to live. Community Trauma Assessment Paper

Affects To the Community

The reaction of the community members was that of shock and fear.  The state does not usually have severe forms of weather and if so, it does not translate into injury or death. The tornado causing destruction was a topic that was discussed for the next few weeks following the event. Many people were surprised by the event and reached out to their friends and family in the area to assist with anything they could. The community outreach and assistance was quite impressive.

The source of these thoughts that were expressed by so many were shock and disbelief. The state is isolated from severe weather and this occurrence included a fatality, which made the community members unsure and uneasy regarding the state’s safety profile. It is so difficult for many Delawareans to cope with the thought of a death due to a natural disaster because it is such a rare occurrence. Delaware being such a small state, it is more of a large town than a state. Everyone in the state seems to know someone involved in any given event due to a small degree of separation. Community Trauma Assessment Paper

This event stimulated the community to start thinking about future disaster planning. It meant that the members of the community needed to reestablish safety plans with their family and friends on what to do in this type of emergency. Tornado watches and warnings going forward will now mean that every family will have an established set of emergency plans in place, to hopefully avoid further fatalities.

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Community Intervention and Plan

The intervention that I could see suiting this situation as a PMHNP would be offering free immediate services to those directly affected by the tornado. In the day following an event such as this, I could head to the area and offer my business card to those who might be struggling now or for use in the future with what occurred to them. I could even do informal meetings on site with those directly affected, informing them of the services available to them in the local area, as well as some symptoms to be aware of that could indicate that they are not emotionally handling the event very well. I believe that informing people directly related to the event that there is a possibility of having some emotional disturbances, what those symptoms might look like and that they could be relieved with psychiatric care would be empowering. I would also come prepared with a list of printed out resources for local therapy services and shelter information, including phone numbers and addresses. In the immediate time after a natural disaster, people are might not have internet service or housing, which could impede them from seeking services Community Trauma Assessment PaperInstructions
1. Select a recent crisis event that occurred in your local area. Briefly (1 paragraph) describe the event.
The event should be a DSM-type of traumatic event that occurred in your local community. This could include, but is not limited to: natural disasters, mass
shootings, terrorist attacks, or the death of a local figure that greatly impacted the community.
The event must have occurred in your local community and in your lifetime when you were old enough to witness the impact that the event had on the
community.
2. Use the following questions to reflect on the event, approximately one paragraph per section:
Reaction – What was the community’s reaction to the event? Or, did you see strong reactions in individuals?
Source – What was the source of that reaction? Why was it so difficult?
Implications – What did this mean for the individual or the community?
3. Develop a plan for intervention. As a PMHNP, what could you do to positively affect this situation, at the individual and community level?
Your plan should include ground-level interventions that the PMHNP could perform in the weeks following the traumatic event. Will you offer therapy or
support groups? Education? Is there a specific program that you would start to relieve the immediate needs following the event? Volunteer with disaster
relief?
This is NOT a paper on social issues or policy change. Although these are VERY important issues, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the immediate
needs after a crisis or disaster.
4. Total assignment should be 1-2 pages in essay format. Cite references as needed, but not required.
5. APA format is expected. This means cover page, running head, and references appropriately cited if used. 20% (1 pt) will be deducted if APA format is not
used.
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I have attached two files Instructions with rubric and also an example paper of this exact assignment from one of my upperclassmen. You can write about the exact same natural disaster that he chose. I live in the Dover, Delaware area. PMHNP= psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.