With the entire state awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Milton, the anticipation has sent anxiety levels soaring.
For days, as the monster storm seemed to inch toward the state, Floridians have been hearing phrases like “strongest hurricane ever” and “rapid intensification,” along with adjectives like catastrophic, life-threatening, and destructive. Those words are compounded by residents’ memories of hurricanes in recent Florida history and footage of towns swamped in North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia by the recent Hurricane Helene.
“With climate-driven extremes putting us in a place that we haven’t been before, it’s very difficult to stay cool, calm, and collected,” Miami meteorologist John Morales told Mother Jones on Monday after getting choked up on air while giving an update on the intensity of the Category 5 hurricane.
Popular TikTok influencer Alexis Amber posted a video explaining that while she lives in Florida and physically is safe, her mental health is suffering. “When I am seeing words again like rapid intensification and catastrophic and mind boggling … I am trying not to drive myself crazy,” she said, exhaling a sigh.
“It’s the anticipation of where it’s going to go, how much are we going to be impacted and all the unknown that makes me anxious,” said Valerie Kedem who lives in an oceanfront condo in Vero Beach and relocated inland a few miles to ride out the hurricane. Kedem said she has lived in Florida 45 years and has experienced previous hurricanes. “I know that each storm is different and this is a big one.”
Even those inland and stocked with supplies in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties fear what’s to come, even though the warnings were “only” at a tropical storm level.
Claudia Vicencio, director of outpatient behavioral health services for Memorial Healthcare System, said the Broward outpatient behavioral health center saw a higher than typical number of people coming in Monday and Tuesday. “We are seeing an increase in people presenting with anxiety and asking for help.”
Vicencio said some Floridians are re-living what they went through in prior hurricanes. “Worrying is a human condition, especially when we have seen what a hurricane can do and relate to it.”
Many Floridians have friends, family, and colleagues who live in areas of the state likely to be impacted, and that creates anxiety, too. Each storm update can be another trigger.
“Anxiety is normal when you are expecting an event and don’t know how it’s going to impact you or your loved ones or your family and friends. People feel helpless,” said Silvia Quintana, CEO of the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition.
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With reports of tornadoes, power outages and impending storm surge, mental health experts like Quintana expect to see a psychological toll on Floridians before, during and after the storm.
“After the storm, anxiety is replaced by grief,” said Quintana, who also is chair of the Florida Association of Managing Entities, a trade group representing behavioral health specialists throughout the state. “There is loss of life and property. People work hard to have what they have, and that loss is impactful.”
For years after Hurricane Andrew in Miami-Dade County, survivors had depression and PTSD, Quintana said. In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, crisis response teams will go into affected areas and offer mental health support.
Now, with residents feeling Milton’s impact, Quintana and Vicencio offer these tips for lowering stress levels:
- Focus on what is in your control.
- Have a safety plan.
- Develop a post-storm communication plan with family.
- Create a support network.
- Share feelings with friends and family.
- Seek out reliable sources of information.
- Limit engagement with people who add to your anxiety.
- Create positive coping skills like deep breathing and relaxing your shoulders.
After the storm:
- Support others through volunteer work and donations.
- Establish routines as soon as possible after the storm.
- Be aware of and avoid bad habits like stress eating or turning to alcohol.
- Get professional help if needed.
South Florida Sun Sentinel health reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.
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