Extreme Weather Events Take a Toll on Mental HealthExtreme Weather Events Take a Toll on Mental Health An extreme weather event, such as a fire, flood, or heat wave, can have lasting emotional consequences. This is exemplified by the experiences of Jennifer Moore, a resident of Windsor, Nova Scotia, who has repeatedly endured flooding in her neighborhood. Moore and her neighbors have developed a sense of anxiety and stress in response to the recurring flooding. They live in constant fear of the next storm, rearranging their schedules and canceling plans to prepare for potential disasters. Moore experiences physical symptoms such as headaches and nausea, which she attributes to both stress and the environmental contamination caused by the flooding. Psychologists have observed a rise in mental health issues related to climate disasters. Studies have shown that victims of severe weather events often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and mood disturbances. These effects can persist for months or even years after the initial event. Stefania Maggi, a psychology professor at Carleton University, explains that extreme weather events create a sense of powerlessness and uncertainty. People may feel unable to control their environment and worry about the future impact of climate change. Theodore Cosco, a gerontology professor at Simon Fraser University, adds that repeated exposure to weather disasters can lead to long-term anxiety and fear. Moore’s neighbor, Amanda Dunfield, expresses a sense of sadness and frustration over the lack of progress in addressing the flooding issue. She and her neighbors feel a sense of loss as their homes and community are repeatedly damaged. The ongoing uncertainty and lack of support from authorities compound their emotional distress. The mental health consequences of extreme weather events are a serious concern, highlighting the need for comprehensive disaster response plans that address both physical and emotional well-being. Individuals affected by climate disasters should seek professional help to manage their mental health and cope with the psychological impacts of these events.
An extreme weather event, such as a fire, flood or heat wave, can have lasting emotional consequences
FREDERICTON — Jennifer Moore was helping a neighbor on flood-prone Stannus Street in Windsor, N.S., last week when she fell face first into waist-high brown water in her driveway.
It was the third time in three years that the street’s catch basin overflowed, after four feet of water mixed with sewage flowed into Moore’s basement on the road that runs through the town of Annapolis Valley.
“It was terrifying,” she said Monday as she prepared to get hepatitis and tetanus shots at a local clinic.
Sometimes she’s unsure whether symptoms like headaches, nausea and diarrhea are simply the result of a stress response or a physical ailment caused by the recent climate disaster in her city.
But psychologists say the distress Moore and her neighbors are facing is part of a troubling rise in mental health issues and trauma related to the increasing incidence of flooding and other climate disasters across the country, experiences documented in studies over the past decade.
Three years after an August 2014 downpour in Burlington, Ontario — when 196 millimetres of rain fell in seven hours, flooding 3,500 homes — the University of Waterloo’s Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation released a Psychological Impact Survey. Researchers found that 48 per cent of the roughly 500 disaster victims reported that their stress level after every major storm since the 2014 flood was a 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 5, representing “maximum mental distress.”
Moore, who bought her Nova Scotia home in 2009, said she’s had to use her industrial pump three times since 2021 to flush about four to five feet of sewage from her basement. “It’s very, very emotional” and “panic-inducing” every time a weather alert announces thunderstorms in the valley, she said.
“We have to rearrange our day so that we can be home when (the street) floods. We have cancelled holidays and trips because we cannot leave our house unattended.”
Sometimes she internalizes her sadness and makes a list of things she can do to keep her home as safe as possible.
She often feels “completely numb,” she said.
Stefania Maggi, a professor of psychology at Carleton University, says extreme weather events, such as a fire, flood or heat wave, can have lasting emotional effects.
“Often we have this overwhelming sense that climate change is so big and such a difficult challenge to overcome that we feel powerless,” she said in a recent interview.
According to Theodore Cosco, associate professor in the department of gerontology at Simon Fraser University, repeated exposure to extreme weather events can have short-term, immediate and long-term effects on people.
According to him, a short-term effect, such as damage to property, loss of life or home, can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. In the long term, however, there can be a general fear of the next possible climate disaster.
“There is uncertainty, unpredictability and uncontrollability in the future.”
Maggi said that depending on the person’s age and other pre-existing conditions, it’s possible that the anxiety and stress caused by climate change and weather-related events could lead to sleep disturbances, nervousness and changes in mood and appetite.
“These are all common reactions to a traumatic experience,” she said. “Usually these are short-term effects that go away after a few days or weeks, but sometimes they last longer, like a few weeks or months.”
Moore’s neighbour Amanda Dunfield said that in July 2023, after more than 250mm of rain fell in the area, her family piled smaller furniture on top of larger ones, tied the curtains and evacuated. Last week, when more than 100mm fell on Windsor, she was again in response mode.
She has spent thousands of dollars renovating her home since she bought it three years ago, but the flooding continues. “I mean, it’s a house. It’s not a submarine,” she said.
Part of the misery for Dunfield is the sense that municipal and provincial political leaders aren’t moving fast enough to repair and upgrade infrastructure — or make reasonable offers to buy their homes. Meanwhile, the low prices for homes in her area make moving out of the question.
The City of West Hants has said it is investigating how to separate the area’s water systems — creating one pipe for sanitary sewer and another for stormwater. However, Mayor Abraham Zebian said in an interview last week that the engineering solution is complex.
“With a system as large and old as the one that handles stormwater in downtown Windsor, this is not an overnight solution.”
Meanwhile, as authorities try to find solutions, Dunfield says she and her neighbors are struggling with a sense of loss — and growing frustration.
“I think there is definitely sadness,” Dunfield said. “Sometimes it’s genuine sadness. I’ve had times where I just sat there and sobbed for days, when it was all over and the adrenaline wore off and you were exhausted.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2024.
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press
