Jessica Lamond, a professor at University of West England Bristol, who studies flooding in the United Kingdom, said that she has found people have anxiety about rain as much as five years after severe flooding. Taioli has been studying psychological reactions from Hurricane Sandy and found that the anxiety lasted more than a year. Emanuela Taioli, director of the Institute of Translational Epidemiology at Mount Sinai. Typically the stress lasts about four to six weeks, he said.īut it can last longer, said Dr. People often feel fear, anxiety, sadness, depression, anger or guilt, he said. It's just a sign of being human," he said. "Traumatic stress reactions are not a sign of weakness. It's important to note that traumatic stress is not abnormal or a sign of mental illness. That can lead to traumatic stress, said Gerard Jacobs, professor emeritus at the University of South Dakota. When events, like the flood, become overwhelming, they become traumatic events. When the rain stopped, the rebuilt businesses were once again destroyed and many, like Radinsky, were left without a home. The streets filled with water, almost as high as the second floor of many of the buildings on Main Street. The street's residents and business owners were still recovering from a flash flood in 2016 that ripped up the road and gutted businesses when another storm hit May 27, dumping almost nine inches of water on the area. The next marker is from 1972 when Hurricane Agnes caused the river to rise to about 14.5 feet. The highest belongs to the flood in 1868 when the Patapsco River rose and more than 20 feet of water was on Main Street. At the bottom of the street, against the train bridge, is a wooden pole with several marks indicating the water levels the street has seen. In the summer months, visitors and residents walk the streets, popping into the local businesses or attending one of the summer movie nights at The Wine Bin. Nowadays, Main Street is lined with mom and pop stores and parked cars. Three tributaries and the Patapsco River powered the mill. It's a mill town," said Andy Miller, professor at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. And adding to the stress and trauma is the question of whether or not to rebuild.Įllicott City was founded in 1772 around Main Street, "for a very specific reason. Going through a flood for the second time can worsen these responses, they said. Radinsky is not alone: Psychologists trained in disaster psychology say after a traumatic event like a flood, people can experience stress, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, although they are quick to point out that each case is individualized. "And you have no idea where to start… It's just very mentally overwhelming all at once and it just tires you out." "In an afternoon you have everything taken away," she said. Radinsky also lived on Main Street-the flood waters swept away both her job and home of two months. She's also experiencing depression and a sense of uncertainty. "That's when one of my servers turned to me and said, 'This is happening again,'" Radinsky said.Ī week after the flood, Radinsky said she is exhausted and stressed. It would eventually reach the second story of many of the buildings. Then the water came down Main Street, as Radinsky and her staff tried to leave the restaurant. Two minutes later, she said, there were only five. She could see seven of the basement steps above water. It always rose a bit when it rained.īut then the water started to flood the restaurant's basement. She could see the Hudson branch-one of the three streams that converge at the Patapsco River-which runs under the building, start to rise, but she wasn't concerned. ELLICOTT CITY, Maryland-Sarah Radinsky was working at Portalli's, an Italian restaurant, while a rainstorm hovered over Ellicott City.
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