It’s nearing the one year anniversary of the November 17th tornadoes that tore through the Midwest. Tazewell County and specifically the community of Washington was by far the hardest hit in the state that day because of the number of homes and businesses damaged.
The physical damage is being re-built, and personal-material possessions are being replaced. But there is also a new resource for the emotional healing and recovery process.
The booklet is called Rebuilding Hope After a Natural Disaster: Pathways to Emotional Healing and Recovery. It’s 23 pages long, in warm matte colors, printed on substantial 81/2 by 11 sheets of paper. But there are no pictures of tornadoes or their destruction zones, and the information and stories are short and easily consumed.
Nancy Hinnen is with the Heart of Illinois United Way and coordinated the project. She says that is all by design, “because the survivors told us, at the very aftermath they were given packet after packet of information that were like 65 pages and longer and they said when you go through a traumatic experience you can only taking in five short concise points at a time and usually less than five.”
Hinnen says initially Heart of Illinois United Way worked with the Central Illinois Food Bank and the Salvation Army to address the immediate, food, shelter, and clothing needs of those most impacted by the tornadoes. She says the other need they discovered was for a resource that addresses the emotional journey of the survivors. Hinnen says they set aside some tornado relief funds and formed a committee to take a closer look. “And the need that we discovered was our communities are getting great at natural disaster preparedness. But we are still a work in progress to meet the heartfelt emotional journey of the survivors.”
Hinnen says next they pulled together a group of survivors, educators, mental health specialists and a librarian to construct something to fill that gap. The aim of the group was identifying and synthesizing the mental and emotional needs people have as they journey back from a point of major destruction.
Washington resident Andrea Bowers is a member of the team. Bowers, her husband and their 10-week old daughter were in the basement of their new home when it was leveled by the EF-4 tornado last November. “But we got lucky. We picked the right wall to hug and we got a low as we could and a lot of the things kind of blew over us but a lot of very large things landed very close to us or on us. But my husband was actually the one that, I just kind of kept my focus on my daughter and I couldn’t cover my own head because I was kind of crouched around her so he covered me to protect me and he watched the whole house go above us. He saw a lot more than I did, but it was very fortunate for his protection too.”
Bowers says they dug out of their basement with the help of neighbors. “That was just the start of it. Then the real disaster has continued past that with the rebuilding process and every thing you go through with insurance and the feelings of loss. That to me has been the real disaster.”
Bowers who has a degree in community health education says the booklet and online resources offer a variety of strategies, coping skills and stories for all ages and stages of the grief and recovery process.
But Bowers says helping write the book was harder than she thought, and it also helped her heal and move forward in ways she didn’t expect. She says it’s also a good time to get the book in the hands of people who can benefit from it. “Because people are moving back. And moving back, people say, ‘oh that is so exciting!’ and it is. But it also opens up a lot of those experiences again that you thought maybe had healed over in the last year. And I think this resources is definitely going to help people be where they're at, meet them where they’re at, at their needs now.” Bowers says she and her family are moving back to their new house next month.
The Heart of Illinois United Way printed 6000 booklets. The Tazewell County Regional Office of Education is distributing them in half of the 18 school districts affected by the November 17th tornadoes. The schools in turn are getting the books to the children whose families were impacted. HOI United Way project coordinator Nancy Hinnen says, “There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to healing and calming and coping and so we addressed the diversity of needs and we really hope that no matter where you are you can find a strategy that best suits your needs.”
Hinnen say they expect to make adjustments to the book and the online resources as the idea evolves. Andrea Bowers says she can also see Rebuilding Hope After a Natural Disaster serving a broader purpose. “I didn’t think any of us really until we saw the finished product really, saw how many people this could reach, saw how big this could be, and how impactful it could be, not just to our community but to communities all across the nation. And that would be amazing if we could get it that far and help that many people and knowing that it started right here.”
In addition to being distributed through the schools in Tazewell County, the book, Rebuilding Hope After a Natural Disaster: Pathways to Emotional Healing and Recovery is available at a variety of locations and the information is online.
Link: Rebuilding Hope After a Natural Disaster
Locations that 'Rebuilding Hope After a Natural Disaster':
Washington and Morton Public Libraries
Tazewood Center for Wellness in Pekin and East Peoria
Salvation Army
Children's Home
WCIC
One Counseling Center and Wellness
Bethany Community Church in Washington
Crossroads United Methodist Church in Washington
Heart of Illinois United Way in Peoria