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https://theconversation.com/climate-related-disasters-leave-behind-trauma-and-worse-mental-health-housing-uncertainty-is-a-major-reason-why-206861>
"Australia, the world’s driest inhabited continent, is particularly vulnerable
to climate-related disasters such as droughts, bushfires, storms and floods. In
2020, we were one of the top ten nations in the world for economic damage
caused by disasters.
Recent catastrophic climate-linked disasters are etched into our communal
psyche. The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, where 173 people died and over 2,000
homes destroyed. The Black Summer bushfires in 2019–20, with 26 deaths and
almost 2,500 homes destroyed. The triple La Nina from 2020–2022 caused flooding
across the east coast, with last year’s claiming 23 lives and an estimated
A$4.8 billion in property damage.
These climate-fueled disasters have immediate health impacts, from injury to
distress and trauma. Less is known about the long-term effects on people who
survived them.
Our new research in
Lancet Planetary Health is the first to have explored
this over a longer time frame. We found disasters have a long tail –
particularly around housing. As you might expect, people hit by disasters have
worse mental and physical health in the year afterwards. But this effect lasts
longer, with affected people reporting worse mental health, worse emotional
health and worse social functioning for two more years. Difficulty finding a
place to stay is a large part of this.
As we plan for a future with intensifying natural disasters, governments must
find ways to offer flexible housing support."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
