If natural disasters cause you stress or anxiety, there’s a new local service that can help. The nonprofit Child and Family Service created the CFS Family Center Natural Disaster Hotline last month to help people experiencing trauma from past disasters.
CFS's Christine Fliniau said Hawai‘i residents live with the risk of several natural disasters from earthquakes to tsunamis to hurricanes and volcanic eruptions.
While everyone’s experience is different, she said it’s important for people to seek help if they need it.
"If you're feeling any kind of distress, you don't have to have a diagnosis of PTSD or anxiety or depression. That's what this hotline is for, is to really provide that, that opportunity for people to talk story with trained staff who are trained to recognize what some of the warning signs are," Fliniau said.
"Part of that is, you know, being able to connect them with resources in their local communities, to help and to also connect them to further screening, to really kind of assess what their needs are and what some of the symptoms are to better help them. That's what this hotline can do," she told HPR.
If you need help coping with stress or anxiety from a natural disaster, or know someone who does, the number to call is 808-681-1445.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Feb. 9, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
