It’s already been 3 years since land slides caused the deaths of 2 Haines inhabitants and caused chaos in town.
Everyone was affected in some way or in another way. The recent fatal landslide that occurred in Wrangell could bring back that the trauma of a previous incident. KHNS talked to mental health professionals in Haines in the midst of the crisis to provide care for the community right from the very first moments.
In the early months of December in 2020, a storm poured more than a foot of rain on Haines. Certain areas of the town were submerged. Landslides destroyed homes. Two residents who were loved by all died. There was extensive physical damage as well as a lot of psychological stress.
“I was at home when the slide erupted and my home was in front of that direction, therefore I could notice that it was there,” said Cesre McQuaid.
McQuaid works as a therapy from Haines. McQuaid was in call and employed by an area clinic. She is trained for emergency response and states that her training helped kick in.
“So I knew there were some things that had to be completed,” she said. “I realized quickly that we should get in contact to Bartlett (Regional Hospital) to find how to ensure that, in the event of an emergency in the psychiatric field How would we be able to send someone to Bartlett in the event that we had to do. A few of these early types of issues were helpful. Being able to work. Being a first responder assisted me.”
Twenty-five miles to the west of in the valley Riley Hall, a counselor on the staff of the clinic, was aware that his help would be needed.
“We responded, but we also suffered in the same way,” Hall said. “I was driving up the highway, and on the day that we first responded, it was difficult to respond, as there were landslides that blocked the town’s access and it was not at all safe in the highway. However, once we had the ability to respond, I moved by a few feet higher up the highway, creating an outpost for individuals to communicate if wanted to.”
Hall told me that he finally loaded his truck up with chainsaws and shovels and was able to get to the town. When he arrived, he joined the mental health professionals who moved among the Legion Hall and the building for public security, and other areas where people gather. They offered what McQuaid refers to as psycho-first aid.
“In reality, it’s mostly psycho education, lots of renormalizing the reactions that people have. Making sure that they are connected to the resources they require,” McQuaid said. “It’s essential at the beginning of the event, to make people aware of the issues they’re experiencing, usually they’re experiencing different emotions and responses which is why it’s important to make them aware that these intense reactions occur as normal.”
John Hischer is a therapist in Skagway. He has also helped those affected by the incident. He says that in these kinds of emergencies, patients undergo a number of phases.
“The initial phase of people is somewhat shocked,” he said. “But they also witness the altruism of their communities, and there’s a lot emotional highs that could occur as well.”
McQuaid concurs.
“I still scream when I recall the volunteers who came out, the people who sat in the fire hall, the people who were sharing food with one another as well as monitoring one another, and the people who wanted to ensure that people had all the necessary information as soon as they could,” she said.
However, Hischer claims that this phase will not last forever.
“It’s the next step when people leave or officials stop talking about it and a lot of the anger and depression appear,” Hischer said. “It was not immediately following the incident but a few months after the slide I witnessed lots of people feeling neglected or abandoned.”
McQuaid claims that in a stressful situation, it is crucial to know how the brain is responding.
“Our brain was designed for survival, it’s never made to be happy, therefore, our brains are designed to assist us in digesting psychological information in a manner that we can handle,” McQuaid said. “You may have a difficult recalling information or focusing on a task, but it’s because your brain is doing what is supposed to be doing currently and that’s digesting things into smaller pieces to ensure that you are capable of processing what’s taking place.”
Hall insists on the importance of patience and connecting. Hall says that children were impacted by the death of a loved one, which occurred in the same way as this recent incident in Wrangell. Jenae Larson, who died in the Haines Landslide was a kindergarten teacher.
“With Wrangell and in Haines, Jenae was so integrated into the school in addition, the Heller family in Wrangell included children from all ages,” he said. “It’s essential to provide children a space and areas where they can talk regarding the death of one or more friends, or that of a teacher. It’s just a matter of giving them channels to sort through difficult and hurt emotions about what’s happening.”
McQuaid states that sleep is extremely crucial to manage what’s happening.
“When you fall asleep at the end of the night, your brain is doing the normal process of acquiring your memory networks and transforming them to create adaptive sources for you,” she said. ” This is the idea that when you fall asleep, you’re dealing with some issue and you think”I need to go to sleep about this then you go to doze off and are actually able to wake up feeling more relaxed, and thinking of a few alternatives on how to tackle the issue.”
Hischer states that the slide that occurred in Wrangell will no doubt rekindle the hurt feelings of Haines residents.
“I was contemplating Haines when I was watching what took place at Wrangell,” Hischer said. “That could be one of those trigger incidents that cause many feelings of sadness in people. The experience of reliving that sorrow and fear, when something similar to occurs in a neighboring community.”
McQuaid states that anyone who is inspired to help or reach out to others should not be afraid to reach out.
“I believe that people should not be afraid of putting themselves on the market. There is something you can provide,” she said. “Each person can offer something. There is no need to wait around to be asked. If there’s something you personally feel compelled to take action an act of kindness is never in vain.”
Hischer would like communities to be prepared for the effects that will last a long time after disasters.
“Hopefully communities of Southeast Alaska are really thinking about this, not just providing short-term mental health services, but actually providing long-term mental health care after an event,” Hischer said. “Because catastrophes don’t happen and end, they can have a significant long-term effects on the lives of individuals.”
Hall says yes.
“Grief is funny this way. Grief can come to us in a series of events We go through times where we don’t consider it as much and at other times, something can cause it to come up in a very intense way,” he said. “I’ve definitely heard from a lot of folks that the scarp from the landslide still a fairly shocking event to be witness to.”
McQuaid says she’s impressed and proud of the way in which the people of Haines was united during the tragedy.
“It’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to be nervous,” McQuaid said. “Collectively we will have to come up with a solution. It has a cumulative impact on all of us. Being aware that other people are concerned, and being aware that people are eager to be present. The knowledge that they’re not the only ones. This is the most important thing for anyone. Even if everyone is exuberant. It doesn’t need to be good, and that’s the most appropriate method to explain it. There are people who are frustrated, but we’re united.”
She advises anyone who is experiencing stress is encouraged to talk to their family members, friends, or an expert.
There is a way to listen to audio recordings from our interview together with McQuaid as well as Hall in khns.org.
