About Disaster Reactions

After a disaster, it is common to experience physical, behavioral, and emotional changes. Below are some possible feelings or changes that you may have after a disaster. It is common to experience these reactions in the days, weeks, and months following an event.

• Anxiety, fear. or overwhelming sadness.

• Anger, especially if the event involved violence. Visit the Coping With Anger After a Disaster page or

  download Tips for Survivors: Coping With Anger After a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event for more information.

• Guilt, even when you had no control over the traumatic event.

• Disconnection, not caring about anything or anyone.

• Numbness, or inability to feel either joy or sadness.

• Stomachaches or diarrhea.

• Headaches or other physical pains for no clear reason.

• Jumpiness or being easily startled.

• Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, sleeping too much, or trouble relaxing.

• An increase or decrease in your energy and activity levels.

• Outbursts of anger, feeling really irritated and blaming other people for everything.

• The desire to be alone most of the time, self-isolation.

• Trouble remembering things.

• Trouble thinking clearly and concentrating.

• Difficulty talking about what happened or listening to others talk about it.

• Misuse of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, or prescription medication in an attempt to reduce distressing feelings or to forget.

For more information on common disaster reactions and how to cope with them, check out the SAMHSA tip sheet Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Managing Stress or posters Have You Experienced a Disaster? and Have You and Your Family Been Affected by a Disaster? For more about helping children and teenagers cope with disaster, see the Children and Disasters web page. 

SAMHSA Resources

The SAMHSA Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) offers tip sheets and other resources to help survivors during and after disasters. Several tip sheets are available in languages other than English.

• Tips for Survivors of a Pandemic: Managing Stress (Spanish)

• Tips for Survivors: Coping With Grief after a Disaster or Traumatic Event

• Tips for Survivors: How to Cope With Sheltering in Place (Spanish)

• Talking With Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks (Spanish)

• Tips for Survivors of a Disaster or Other Traumatic Event: Coping With Retraumatization (Spanish, Punjabi)

• Tips for Survivors: Coping With Grief After Community Violence

• Tips for Talking With and Helping Children and Youth After a Disaster or Traumatic Event: A Guide for Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers (Spanish, Punjabi)

• The SAMHSA Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series features sections specifically related to floods. This collection includes resources on preparing for and recovering after a flood.