As reported by the American Red Cross, the largest single disaster relief effort ever undertaken by the organization was the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In addition to killing so many people, the storm left millions homeless. Hurricanes Rita and Wilma followed soon after, worsening the devastation. 

We asked Jack Herrmann, Senior Director, Client Care in Disaster Cycle Services, what people should expect with the heightened retrospective news coverage around Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. He said, “Not all disasters are the same. A reaction can be triggered by some disasters and not others. No matter how seasoned you are, you may not be immune to the psychological challenges caused by the next disaster or seeing news reports of a crisis years ago. There may be delayed affects. Be open to this, especially around anniversary dates.”

“For example, I realized one year after 9/11 while having coffee on my porch that it felt like a fog just lifted from my brain,” Jack remembered. “I’d been walking around like this for a whole year after experiencing the trauma of others through my volunteer and professional work without really realizing it.”

One thing Jack is most proud of in all the years he’s been responding to disasters is the experience he acquired that enabled him to develop a disaster mental health course and implement it across the state of New York… “Therefore, expanding the DMH capacity of the state. This includes training mental health responders in how to work with families when the authorities are identifying or have identified their deceased loved ones through DNA samples.”