Resources offered by your city and two resources offered by FEMA to aid victims recovering from a terrorist attack or natural disaster, and analyze how these resources work and how victims can utilize and find these resources.
Resources offered by city
Shelter and housing
Financial assistance
Resources offered by FEMA
Emergency Medical services
Disaster unemployment assistance
Occurrence of natural disasters and terrorist attacks renders victims homeless. Common natural catastrophes in California include wildfires, winter and coastal storms, hurricanes, floods and landslides. In case of a disaster occurrence, California government provides housing and shelter to the affected residents. Shelters play a critical role and are an important component of disaster response and recovery ( Sledge & Thomas, 2019) . Provision of shelters significantly impacts human survival during the onset stages of a catastrophe. During disasters, shelters offer a secure and safe place to live until the affected are able to move back to their permanent residences. The government in California provides various types of shelters such as emergency shelters, temporary shelters, transitional shelters, progressive shelters and permanent housing (ca.gov, n.d). The shelters and housing work by preventing excessive morbidity and mortality. Moreover, the shelters deliver lifesaving support and protect displaced populations from exposure to hostile environmental conditions. Beyond survival, the disasters shelters offer protection from ill-health and diseases. In addition, shelters provided during emergencies promote human dignity and help sustain family and community life. Furthermore, California prioritizes shelter provision to reduce vulnerability and build community resilience. According to Sledge and Thomas (2019), shelter and related support services are key settlement features that hold social, cultural and economic importance. Affected populations in California can utilize the provided shelters to house their belongings and property as well as in accessing amenities such as water, food and healthcare services. Displaced populations can locate the resource either by visiting the California government website, through the 2-1-1 service or by contacting 911 emergency line.
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In the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack the California government provides financial assistance to eligible households and individuals. The local government prioritizes the underinsured or the uninsured individuals to enable them meet necessary expenses and other serious needs. Financial assistance works by enabling affected individuals meet their basic necessities and supplement their disaster recovery efforts ( Sledge & Thomas, 2019) . Individuals benefiting from the funding can channel the monies to secure a temporary housing unit. Individuals who are unable to live in their homes due to displacement can use the funds to reimburse hotel costs or to cover rental expenses. The funds provided can be used to repair or replace owner occupied homes which previously served as household’s primary residence. Such funds can also be used for purposes such as child care, dental and other medical services, funeral and other miscellaneous approved items by the California state government. To access the financial assistance individuals can contact 1-800-777-0133 or visit www.dmv. ca.gov .
The federal government through FEMA provides Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) as a vital resource during natural disasters or terrorist onslaughts. The DUA resource works by providing unemployment benefits to individuals who were rendered jobless following occurrence of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. The DUA avails financial help to enable the unemployed individuals support their livelihoods. The resource is also offered in form of tax filing extensions for affected businesses and employees. The aid provided enables the affected individuals to afford necessities such as food, shelter and healthcare services prior to acquiring an alternative source of income ( McEntire, 2015) . For example, the wild fire in Shasta County was declared a major disaster thereby prompting the federal government to avail DUA benefits to individuals displaced from their employment. Individuals benefiting from the DUA assistance can utilize the resource by setting up new businesses, finding alternative shelters or looking for employment to support their livelihoods and families once the DUA period lapses. To access the resource, claimants can apply for Disaster Unemployment Benefits online. In addition, the affected individuals can locate the benefits by contacting DUA by phone: 1-800-300-5616, which can be accessed Monday through Friday.
FEMA also avails emergency medical services (EMS) as a critical resource during disasters. The emergency medical services include on-scene treatment and mass casualty triage, coordination of patient transport, evacuation, communication and patient tracking ( Sadiq et al., 2016) . The EMS by FEMA are lifesaving efforts that play a critical role during various stages of disaster management. FEMA provides immediate medical care to victims of natural disaster and terrorist attacks without which the catastrophes would lead to multiple fatalities. Through the FEMA emergency services, medical support is provided to avoid possible detrimental consequences that would hurt people’s lives and health. To access the emergency assistance from FEMA, individuals can apply online or contact the agency via its hotline (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585.
How local, state, and federal agencies could better advertise and be more organized to provide meaningful mental health and trauma support to victims of disasters
Local, state and federal government should consider exploiting the potential provided by social media to advertise and provide support to mental health and trauma victims. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are critical in reaching out to people requiring mental health and trauma help. The digital platforms are effective because almost all households have a device that can be used to access the social media sites. The local, state and federal government should create social media pages with live support where victims affected by disasters can interact with mental health professionals in real time. Sponsoring adverts on social media would be an effective way of reaching out to individuals requiring mental health band trauma support (McClellan et al., 2017). Facebook and Twitter would be crucial in disseminating and aggregating information while offering opportunities for discussion and reflection among individuals requiring mental health and trauma support. The local, state and federal agencies can leverage social media as a positive channel through which populations can seek and receive mental health and trauma support.
The state and federal agencies can also advertise their services through community outreach programs. The outreach initiatives would be critical in reaching out to disaster victims suffering from mental health and trauma. The community outreach events would educate populations about their existence and the range of services offered (McEntire, 2015). In addition, the agencies can advertise by using mental health magazines such as the Better Mental Health magazine. Putting information such as helplines and the services offered would give direction on ways to access the mental health and trauma support services.
Creating a mental health and trauma website would make local, state and federal agencies more organized. The webpage should have a live support where people requiring assistance can engage and interact with professionals. The website should be populated with various resources such as helplines and how to find treatment and support for mental health as well as trauma related issues. The agencies’ websites should list campaigns that raise awareness about disaster related mental health and trauma health problems and ways victims can reach out for professional assistance.
References
ca.gov (n.d). Wildfire Response Resources, retrieved from https://response.ca.gov/
McClellan, C., Ali, M. M., Mutter, R., Kroutil, L., & Landwehr, J. (2017). Using social media to monitor mental health discussions− evidence from Twitter. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association , 24 (3), 496-502.
McEntire, D. A. (2015). Disaster response and recovery: strategies and tactics for resilience . John Wiley & Sons.
Sadiq, A. A., Tharp, K., & Graham, J. D. (2016). FEMA versus local governments: Influence and reliance in disaster preparedness. Natural hazards , 82 (1), 123-138.
Sledge, D., & Thomas, H. F. (2019). From disaster response to community recovery: nongovernmental entities, government, and public health. American journal of public health , 109 (3), 437-444.
