The aftermath of Hurricane Ian has left wreckage that has never before been seen in the southeast United States and areas in the Caribbean.
Various reports on the number of casualties caused by the hurricane indicate that the death toll is not yet final, as Ian is believed to be one of the most powerful storms to hit the region in the last century.
As part of the effort to help the victims, volunteers from Israel are bringing aid to the area.
The United Hatzalah (UH) organization has sent a delegation aimed at providing first psychological aid to those coping with the harrowing aftermath of the devastating hurricane.
The delegation of seven members, which is made up of five Israelis and two local volunteers, is also able to provide first aid medical care and other humanitarian assistance.
“We offer psychological first aid,” said Raphael Poch, a member of the Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit who is also the international media spokesperson for United Hatzalah. “We saw there is a need for psychological and emotional stabilization at the scenes of traumatic incidents,” he said.
Volunteers for the United Hatzalah Mission to Puerto Rico worked with local first responders in Anasco in the wake of Hurricane Fiona.
Gavy Friedson, director of International Emergency Management for UH, arrived in Florida on Sunday and is part of the initial assessment team.
“It is a chaotic scene,” he described. “We are here to help people who lost their loved ones, their homes, but also to help the first responders who themselves are often traumatized.”
During the years in which the organization operated mainly in Israel, it developed a series of protocols and methods to deal with the immediate psychological trauma that comes with experiencing sudden upheaval, be it from natural causes or other causes.
The Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit is now in Florida. Established six years ago, it consists of volunteers who are psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and other therapists. Its first mission to a hurricane disaster area was in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas and Louisiana.
“If trauma is treated in time, the person can process the trauma in a healthy manner and move on; if it’s not treated in time it can develop in the end into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” Poch explained. “Those who receive treatment are much more able to function than those who don’t,” he added.
The first goal of the responders is to help victims realize that the immediate danger has passed.
“We find this extremely effective in the field,” said Friedson.
During their stay, the United Hatzalah team intends to guide local first responders on how to help people with psychological trauma with follow-up care.
Just before heading to Florida, the volunteers had finished a mission in Puerto Rico helping victims of Hurricane Fiona.
On the first day of the Florida mission, they treated tens of people.
“The real answer to any human tragedy is acts of love and kindness. The fact that people come from different countries, to help people they do not know and will probably never meet again, that does a lot for the mental state of those suffering to know that people from all over the world care about what happens to them,” said Poch.
“That already alleviates one of the big causes of emotional and psychological trauma, which is a sense of loneliness, and that makes a huge difference.”
Israel has extensive experience in treating PTSD sufferers, after decades of wars and terrorist attacks. This has resulted in the understanding that the mental care of survivors is no less important than their physical well-being.
“An ambulance comes and helps the physically wounded but what about all the bystanders and all the people who are emotionally affected and dealing with incident?” Friedson said.
“We provide tools to community leaders and local first responders. We are not coming to replace anyone, but as an add-on to local efforts going on,” Poch added.
Israel’s consulate in Miami also took part in relief efforts and dispatched supplies to people affected by the hurricane over the weekend.
“We as Israelis, out of appreciation and recognition of our special relations with the U.S., immediately stand by the people of Miami,” said Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, consul general of Israel in Miami.
“The thoughts and prayers of all Israelis are with the people of Florida, and all those who remain in the path of this devastating storm,” Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid tweeted as the devastation wreaked by the hurricane became clearer.
“The impact of groups like UH … during times of need is great. I’ve seen it time and time again all over the world, of course also during the Champlain Towers tragedy in Surfside,” said Bal Harbour Mayor Gabriel Groisman. “Actions speak louder than words and the actions of these nonprofit groups demonstrate that the relationship between the United States and Israel runs deep. Their help is always appreciated.”
Elbaz-Starinsky and other staffers filled up cars with dry goods, water, fuel and flashlights and headed to the epicenter of the disaster zone.
“People immediately stood in line for supplies; it is difficult to imagine how much this aid is needed,” he said.
According to Elbaz-Starinsky, the Israeli government has made an official offer of aid. There has been no response yet. “We are examining in which ways we can be most beneficial,” he added.
Israel has a tradition of dispatching humanitarian aid after disasters. Through its military home front command or volunteer organizations such as United Hatzalah, Israelis are often seen in the epicenters of crises. For many victims, sometimes in countries who do not have warm or any relations with Israel, it is the first contact they have with Israelis.
“Our goal is to help where we can,” said Friedson. “An added bonus we constantly find is that the people we help have never met Israelis and are so grateful and appreciative for our response and are happy to see we aren’t what is portrayed in the news.”
The story is written by Keren Setton and reprinted with the permission from The Media Line