How to Help After a Natural Disaster |
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By: Robbie Miller Kaplan Posted: 2007-10-25 03:44:41 |
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With fires raging along the Californian coast, it's easy to feel helpless in the wake of such personal tragedy. While it is hard to know what to say and do, loss is very isolating and when you stay away, you compound the loss, says one expert. "Many people shy away from someone who has experienced a devastating loss because they are afraid to say the wrong thing," says Robbie Miller Kaplan, author of How To Say It When You Don't Know What To Say: The Right Words For Difficult Times (Prentice Hall Press $15.95). "The right words and helpful deeds bring comfort when it's needed most. Your positive actions play a pivotal role in helping individuals cope with loss and heal," she adds.
Kaplan offers five simple steps for lending support following a natural disaster: 1. Offer safe shelter. If you are too far away, ask if you can researchlocal and state agencies to identify services for survivors. 2. Provide needed and comfortable clothing and sundry items; they mayhave left their home quickly or experienced damage to personal belongings. 3. Make yourself available to run errands, drive them to professionalappointments, or conduct research on how to replace lost documents. 4. Listen; allow them to cry or talk and if they ask you for specific help, do your best to fulfill their wishes. 5. Acknowledge the loss and write a note to share your sadness. "Many people find comfort in knowing they are in your thoughts and prayers," says Kaplan. How to Say It When You Don't Know What to Say: The Right Words for Difficult Times provides insight into the process of grief and offers practical advice on how to comfort during challenging times. It's available in neighborhood and online bookstores. For more information go to http://wordsthatcomfort.com/. |
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