Disasters can have an impact on everyone in the community.Whether we have friends or family directiy affected by the tragedy or we are part of the shell-shocked community – we may experience a range of reactions to what has happened.

How something like this affects us will often depend on our own personal circumstances like ,other personal problems,illnesses, the level of support we have in our lives.

For example, it would be normal for some people to display various behavioural, physical, emotional and mental reactions when they talk or read about the incident.

These reactions may interfere with day-to-day living and the experience may leave people afffected by this disaster shaken and worried about the future.Getting back to normal can be difficult after an experience of this kind.Below are some of thecommon feelings that you, your friends and colleagues may be experiencing.

• Disbelief at what has happened
• Numbness – the disaster may seem unreal, like a dream
• No understanding of what has happened

• For the safety of family and friends, or death
• Of a similar disaster happening again
• Awareness of personal vulnerability
• Panicky feelings
• Other apparently unrelated fears.

• At ‘who caused it’ or ‘allowed it to happen’
• Outrage at what has happened
• At the injustice and senselessness of it all
• Generalised anger and irritability

• Crises show us how powerless we are at times, as well as our strengths Sadness
• About human destruction and losses of every kind
• For loss of the belief that our world is safe and predictable Shame
• For having been exposed as helpless, emotional and needing others
• For not having reacted as one would have wished These feelings are normal and can be accompanied by arange of physical and emotional responses.As always, talking about how you are feeling can help enormously. Seek support among your friends,family and/or in the community.

This fact sheet has been reproduced from information provided by Dr Rob Gordon, Clinical Psychologist, consultant to the State Emergency Recovery Unit of the Victorian Department of Human Services.

It is intended as a guide to help people deal with traumatic events and is not a substitute for seeking professional help.

The impact of a storm on a barrier island is dependent not only on the magnitude of storm characteristics, such as storm surge and waves, but also on the elevation of the barrier island at landfall, such as the line of dunes paralleling the shore that act as the coast’s first line of defense. Stretches of coast with very low dunes are potentially more susceptible during storms to extreme coastal change than those with higher dunes.

The potential vulnerability of a particular stretch of coast can be assessed using a conceptual model that scales the impacts of storms on barrier islands (Sallenger, 2000). Within the model, the elevation of storm-induced water levels (Rhigh and Rlow), including storm surge, astronomical tide, and wave runup, are compared to measurements of local dune morphology such as the elevation of the dune crest and toe, (Dhigh and Dlow).

The hurricane-induced water levels (Rhigh and Rlow) are the highest reaches of the waves on the beach during a the storm. By considering these water levels relative to coastal elevations Dhigh and Dlow, the crest and base of the dune, four storm impact regimes can be defined for a specific area of the coast:

Swash: Total water levels are lower than the dune toe (Rhigh < Dlow)
Collision: Total water levels exceed the dune toe (Dlow < Rhigh < Dhigh)
Overwash: Total water levels exceed the dune crest (Rhigh > Dhigh)
Inundation: Storm surge and tide exceed the dune crest (Rlow > Dhigh)

Within each of these regimes, the nature and magnitude of coastal change are expected to be unique.

During a storm, if wave runup is confined to the beach, the beach will erode and the sand will be stored offshore. However, over the weeks and months following the storm, the sand naturally returns to the beach, restoring the beach to its original configuration.

If wave runup exceeds the elevation of the base of the dune, the runup will collide with the dune causing erosion and dune retreatUnlike the temporary changes of the swash regime, this change is considered a net, or (semi-) permanent, change to the dune.

If wave runup exceeds the elevation of the dune, or in the absence of a dune, the beach berm, the system will be overtopped, transporting sand landward. This is a net change contributing to the migration of the barrier island landward.

If the storm surge is high and the elevation of the barrier island is low, the barrier can become completely subaqueous. Sand is transported landward over the island an order of magnitude farther than typical overwash of the overwash regime.