In the wake of last year's mudslides, the American Red Cross, with the help of the Mexican Red Cross and the Venezuelan Red Cross, spearheaded the South American society's first mental health program. Through the program, the American Red Cross helped to set up a network of 360 mental health counselors throughout the country. A year after the Venezuelan mudslides, American Red Cross-trained counselors continue to respond to the overwhelming psychological needs of disaster victims. Throughout muddy communities of damaged and half-buried homes, shelters and resettlement areas, survivors are coping with the fear, loss and confusion caused by Venezuela's most deadly natural disaster this century. Red Cross counselors have played an important role in helping people overcome these feelings and rebuild their lives, Schriber says.
Mental health is part of physical health and people being able to care for their needs.
Mudslide victims continue to suffer a range of psychological effects, Navas says. Others suffer memory loss, flashbacks or constant fear. All they can think about is the disaster. Red Cross mental health workers hold support groups and visit mudslide-stricken communities and families to help Venezuelans cope with the effects of the disaster. They may play games with children who witnessed the death of their friends or hug a single mother struggling to raise her children after losing everything she owned.