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As rescue crews and volunteers work to clean up after the tragic flooding that violently swept through central Texas over the July 4 weekend, others are looking to help survivors and victims’ loved ones mentally recover. Dallas-based pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Sabrina Browne spoke with Fox News Digital about what survivors and those close to victims could be grappling with.
“Tragedies like this, in a very literal sense, hit close to home, right? It’s one thing when you see things playing out on TV, but when it happens in your community, it really affects your life on every level,” Browne told Fox News Digital. “The reality for these families is that once the camera crews are gone and once the aid organizations are packing up, they’re still going to be living with the repercussions of this.”
There are several possible reactions people may have in the wake of a tragedy, like the recent flooding. According to Browne, one of the most common reactions is a loss of a “feeling of safety” and a “sense of stability.”
“You take for granted that you’re gonna wake up in the morning, go about your day, you’re going to come home to your house, right? And all of those things. And so they lose that sense of stability,” Browne said.
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She added that along with this loss of stability, some people can experience anxiety, worry or even fear that another disaster is around the corner. The mental health professional also mentioned that flood survivors could experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and even survivor’s guilt.
Browne has unique experience in helping Texas families through tragedy, having supported families in the wake of the 2022 Uvalde school shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School.
Like the case of the Uvalde shooting, many of the flood victims in Texas were children. Browne spoke to the differences in treating adults versus children, emphasizing that “kids aren’t just little adults.”
“When we talk about kids, that’s a wide spectrum of ages and developmental levels,” Browne said. “A child who is 12 is going to be having a different experience than a child who’s seven, right? Because they’re more mature, they cognitively can understand things.”
Beyond their ability to understand what has happened, this could be a child’s first time dealing with disaster and death.
“Oftentimes, kids are encountering [death] in the setting of losing a grandparent or someone where it feels removed from them. But when they’re seeing their peers, other kids in camp, when school starts back up, starting school and seeing maybe their friends aren’t there, that brings it to a very real level so that now they’re having to wrap their heads around, what does that mean? And then they’re also struggling with, is this something that could happen to me? And so that can add another layer.”
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Texas professionals like Browne aren’t alone in their work to help flood victims recover, Spring Health, a company focused on providing mental health solutions, recently committed $500,000 in free services for flood victims in Texas, North Carolina and New Mexico.
“Recovering from a disaster isn’t just about rebuilding what was lost. It is also about caring for the emotional toll that follows. We want people to know they are not alone,” Spring Health CEO April Koh told Fox News Digital. “This program is here to ensure that those impacted have a way to access high-quality, confidential mental health support at no cost.”
As part of its commitment to providing care, Spring Health is making virtual sessions with licensed clinicians available for those who cannot access physical in-person help.
When it comes to knowing if your child needs professional help, Browne told Fox News Digital that it comes down to noticing changes in day-to-day behavior. She said that there are reactions parents can expect to see, such as their child regressing and maybe wanting to sleep in their room to feel safe.
“If we notice that, you know, they’re, they are not sleeping, they don’t want to eat, they don’t want to play, right? Those big shifts, that is a sign of we need to get them in to see somebody for more support,” Browne said.
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