Evacuees develop fear of water – official

MANILA, Philippines – Some of the victims displaced by tropical storm “Ondoy” have developed a fear of water, hampering efforts to get them back to their residences, an official of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) said yesterday.

According to PNRC secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang, social workers sent by the PNRC to conduct “critical incident stress management (CISM)” among evacuees have observed that many of the victims were “traumatized” by the massive flooding brought about by Ondoy.

“Most of them don’t want to go back to their homes, especially those living in low-lying areas. They claimed that they are used to flooding but it was the first time for them to experience that (Ondoy floods). They are afraid that it would be repeated,” she told The STAR.

Pang noted that some evacuees no longer want to go back to their rented home but have no money to pay for the deposit of renting a new house.

Social workers have conducted CISM among 606 victims by setting up welfare desks in H. Bautista Elementary School and Malanday Elementary School in Marikina City.

CISM is intended to help people cope with their traumatic experiences by allowing them to talk about it.

“Red Cross believes that it is not only important to nourish the body, we also have to ensure the total well-being of a person. We look at everything – even their personal hygiene,” Pang claimed.

The PNRC has 20 professional social workers and several non-professional but trained social workers that have been tapped to deal with the victims. They were tasked to refer to psychiatrists those who need “higher level of assistance.”

The social workers observed that the morale of many of the victims is low since they lost property and belongings while those who lost their loved ones are still in deep pain.

“When they see you, they will show you the identification cards of their relatives who cannot yet be found… These people have struggled to survive but now, they have to face reality… and even live a hard life in the evacuation centers,” she said.

With CISM, social workers organize group discussions in which victims could talk about their ordeal. In some cases, one-on-one consultation is held if requested by an evacuee.

But Pang said that CISM is performed not only among the victims but among social workers and rescuers as well.

“The rescuers saw dead bodies while the social workers have been hearing about the stories and the problems of the victims. It’s possible that they would also be drained themselves so from time to time, they also undergo stress debriefing,” she added. –Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)