• Photo
Utility workers walk past a badly damaged house in the Belle Harbor neighborhood of the Rockaways

In this Monday, Nov. 19, 2012 file photo, utility workers walk past a badly damaged house in the Belle Harbor neighborhood of the Rockaways, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

  • More Featured Content
Happy Hour | Sunshine Sangria
Happy Hour | Sunshine Sangria

Whether you are gathering a small group for weekend or throwing…

Photos: I-5 bridge collapses in Washington
Photos: I-5 bridge collapses in Wash.

An Interstate 5 bridge over a river collapsed north of Seattle,…

A week of top AP photos
A week of top AP photos

This gallery contains photos published May 16-23, 2013.

I-5 bridge collapse survivor: 'You hold on'
Bridge collapse survivor: 'You hold on'

Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup truck on Interstate…

I-5 bridge collapses into Wash. river, injuring 3
I-5 bridge collapses into Wash. river

A truck carrying an oversize load struck a bridge on the major …

Advertisement

Mental health toll emerges among Sandy survivors

Updated: Saturday, 15 Dec 2012, 11:02 AM CST
Published : Saturday, 15 Dec 2012, 11:02 AM CST

NEW YORK (AP) -- The mental trauma inflicted by Superstorm Sandy is starting to emerge among storm victims in New York and New Jersey.

The extent of the problem is difficult to measure because many people are too anxious to even leave their homes. Mental health experts say people are afraid of wind and water and parting with their loved ones.

Others are too busy dealing with losses of property and livelihood to deal with their grief.

To tackle the problem, government officials are dispatching more than 1,000 federally-funded crisis counselors to canvass the worst-hit areas.

Counselors are assuring people that anxiety and insomnia are natural after a disaster. But when the trauma starts to interfere with daily life, it's probably time to seek help.

 

Advertisement
Advertisement