Typhoon fatigue taking toll on rescuers, repeat evacuees

MANILA, Philippines — With six tropical cyclones hitting the country in just five weeks, “typhoon fatigue” is starting to take a toll on disaster response and rescue personnel and victims who have been in and out of evacuation centers, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

Repeated search, rescue and relief operations just days apart are exhausting and may spark feelings of hopelessness among residents who are forced to leave their homes almost every week, Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said.

“The psychosocial impact of calamities was taken up before by Environment Secretary Toni Loyzaga. Our kababayans in evacuation centers experience extreme trauma, especially the children,” Nepomuceno told radio dzBB yesterday.

Disaster response personnel from Eastern Visayas and Metro Manila were sent to the Bicol Region and Cagayan Valley during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine so that the personnel there could rest, Nepomuceno recalled.

Ever since Typhoon Julian hit the country in the last week of September, cyclones have been entering the country just days instead of about two weeks apart, he noted.

Typhoon fatigue has become a concern to victims in northern Luzon where the last five or six cyclones passed through, Nepomuceno said.

Study areas, prayer rooms and counseling desks manned by social workers have been set up in evacuation centers to help address the problem, he noted.

With the help of local government units, huge televisions were placed in some evacuation centers to provide entertainment, Nepomuceno said. “But we know that it is not enough to counter fatigue.”

Although some people frown at the idea, Nepomuceno claimed there is a positive effect on displaced families when government officials like President Marcos visit typhoon victims.

Typhoon burnout

Possible cases of typhoon fatigue are being monitored by the Department of Health (DOH) amid consecutive tropical cyclones entering the Philippines.

“We will keep track of typhoon fatigue or burnout,” Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said yesterday.

Health personnel are encouraged to provide counseling, even for at least five minutes, to people staying at evacuation centers, he noted.

Mental health follow-up care is also needed for evacuees with pre-existing conditions or who suffered trauma due to typhoons, Domingo said.

The DOH is in the process of improving mental health monitoring and recording for depression and other mental health conditions, he said.

Typhoon victims are encouraged to call crisis hotline 1553 if they need to talk to someone. — Mayen Jaymalin