It has been two years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Although more recent events have stolen headlines the victims of Katrina continue the struggle to rebuild, both on physical and emotional levels. The effects of the storm may be distant memories to those not affected but to those living along the Gulf Coast the effects remain vivid and very much alive.

“We are seeing those who initially thought they didn’t need mental health services are now reaching out.” Said Carol Buchanan Jones, a member of the Mississippi Counseling Association who is working with the Mississippi Coast Interfaith Disaster Task Force. Jones is also the founder of Project Relief, a coalition of mental health professionals providing free services to residents in three Mississippi counties along the coast. Her organization has aided thousands of individuals and families since Katrina, however resources are running out. “The PTSD symptoms started coming out around 15 to 18 months after the storm.”

In addition, the helpers are struggling with burnout and in fact a number of caretakers have committed suicide. The devastation is too much for many to handle. “Many people don’t realize that there are still 76,000 people living in FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) trailers in Mississippi,” Jones states in the recent article. Jones wants to raise awareness that the problems are still enormous, with the two greatest needs being permanent housing and mental health services.

Other problems include what some describe as “rampant” substance abuse. There has been a large increase in the use of alcohol, marijuana and methamphetamines by not only the adult population but by the adolescent and middle school population as well. Many of the youth detention centers and all of the alternative schools in the area were filled to capacity. Most referrals were for substance abuse.

All students post-Katrina are considered, at-risk. “Traditional social activities and places for teens to hang out have not been rebuilt.” Carolyn Anderson, a retired counselor and the executive director of the Long Beach Substance Abuse Task Force points out in the article. Anderson has contracted with the middle school and has counselors come in and provide group counseling sessions which address coping with anger, grief and loss, developing improved communication skills, teaching students to identify at-risk behaviors, establishing positive peer networks and support.

Art therapy has been used to help with self-disclosure of value and identification of stress points in the body.

In conjunction with the group counseling, the Task Force has partnered with local church groups to provide positive social activities for teens.

Jones believes that the many traumatized by the Katrina disaster would be better served by counselors who have completed specialized crisis response training indicating that the Red Cross is great but counselors, mental heath professionals can go above and beyond.