Need help now?

Call or text 988 for crisis support

Healing After a Disaster: Short- and Long-Term Recovery

Behavioral-health guidance to help individuals, families, helpers, and the wider community understand recovery, manage ongoing stress, and rebuild over time.

Emergency Help

When to call 911, 988, or 211

Diagram comparing 211 for community resources, 988 for suicide prevention and crisis support, and 911 for emergencies, with coordinated referrals supporting whole-person care.

Call

911

Immediate Danger / Emergencies

  • A medical emergency
  • Someone attempting to harm themselves or others
  • Fire, crime, or unsafe situations
  • You feel unsafe right now

Call or Text

988

Suicide Intervention and (Mental Health) Crisis Support
  • You feel very sad, scared, overwhelmed, or out of control
  • You are having thoughts of self-harm
  • You need someone to talk to right away
  • You are worried about someone else’s safety

Call

211

Information & Community Resources

  • Food, housing, or utility help
  • Finding local services
  • Support for people with disabilities or access and functional needs
  • Non-emergency community resources
Recovery Over Time

How People and Communities Heal Over Time.

Most communities move through these stages:

  • Impact: Shock, confusion.
  • Heroic: People helping each other with lots of energy.
  • Honeymoon: Strong community spirit.
  • Disillusionment: Tiredness, frustration, feeling forgotten.
  • Reconstruction/Rebuilding: Slowly finding new routines and hope.

It is normal for stress to rise again months later.

Graph illustrating emotional highs and lows through pre-disaster, impact, heroic, honeymoon, disillusionment, and reconstruction phases, with trigger events, anniversary reactions, and setbacks during recovery.
Individuals & Families

What Individuals & Families May Feel Over Time

Different reactions may appear at different points in recovery. The guidance below helps visitors recognize common patterns and know what can be helpful during each phase.

First Days to 6 Weeks

Watch For

  • Trouble sleeping
  • Feeling sad or jumpy
  • Worrying a lot
  • Feeling tired or angry

Helpful Actions
Keep routines, limit scary news, avoid consuming or spreading rumors, talk with trusted people, and use calming skills.

6 Weeks to 6 Months

Watch For

  • Feelings that are not getting better
  • Nightmares or flashbacks
  • Trouble doing daily tasks
  • Increased alcohol or drug use

Helpful actions
This can be a good time to reach out for professional support.

6 Months and Beyond

Watch For

  • People may feel strong again, or they may still feel grief, stress, or worry.
  • Anniversaries of the disaster can bring up big feelings.

Helpful Actions
Plan for tough dates, join support groups, talk with helpers, stay connected.
Special Groups

What to watch for and how to help.

Children and Teens

Watch For
School problems, ongoing fears, and risky behavior.

Help By
Keeping communication open, working with teachers, and considering counseling.

Older Adults

Watch For
Ongoing loneliness, grief, or health decline.

Help By
Regular check-ins, transportation help, and community activities.

People Living With SUD, PTSD, or Mental Health Conditions

Watch For
Relapse, worsening symptoms, or withdrawal.

Help By
Supporting access to treatment, peer groups, and trauma-informed care.

People With Disabilities or Access and Functional Needs

Watch For
Barriers to communication, mobility, or daily functioning.

Help By
Ensuring accessible communication, transportation, and support.

People With Limited Social Support

Watch For
Isolation, unmet basic needs, missed appointments, or sudden changes in behavior.

Help By
Helping the person connect with local groups, offering regular check-ins, and guiding them to community resources.

Community Recovery

What helpers face during recovery.

First Responders

  • May feel tired or emotionally drained.
  • May have seen difficult events that affect their own behavioral health.
  • Continue responding to everyday emergencies while helping with recovery.

Local Government

  • Must repair roads, buildings, and utilities while helping families.
  • May face delays in funding or supplies.
  • May receive frustration from the community while working nonstop.

Nonprofits & Faith Groups

  • Provide long-term support such as food, clothing, counseling, or rebuilding help.
  • Donations and volunteers may decrease over time.
  • Must decide where to focus limited resources.

The Rest of the Community

  • People may feel tired or stressed as recovery takes longer than expected.
  • Some families recover faster than others, which can create tension.
  • Community members may need to support each other for months or years.
When to Get Help

Some signs deserve extra support.

Reach out to a trusted adult, friend, or helper if these concerns continue or begin interfering with daily life.

Getting help is a sign of strength.

  • You feel hopeless most days
  • You think about harming yourself or others
  • You feel hopelessYou cannot do daily tasks for more than a couple of weeksmost days
  • You are using alcohol or drugs more and can’t cut back
  • You have frequent nightmares, panic attacks, or flashbacks

Knowing how help works can lower stress.

When people understand who is helping, what those helpers can and cannot do, and why parts of recovery may take time, it can be easier to remain calm, patient, and connected.

Helpers and community members are working through a difficult time together.
  • Know who is helping.
  • Understand what they can do.
  • Understand what they cannot do.
  • Recognize why recovery sometimes takes time.
  • Together we can do this!
Additional Resources

Helpful documents and links.

Behavioral Health Support: Building Resiliency Before, During, and After a Disaster

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