Jennifer Moore was helping a neighbour on flood-prone Stannus Street, in Windsor, N.S., last week when she fell face first in waist-deep brown water in her driveway.
It was the third time in three years the catch basin on the street overflowed, after 1.2 metres of water adulterated with sewage poured into Moore91裸聊视频檚 basement on the road that runs through the Annapolis Valley town.
91裸聊视频淚t was terrifying,91裸聊视频� she said Monday, as she prepared to rush out to get hepatitis and tetanus shots at a local clinic.
At times, she added, she isn91裸聊视频檛 sure if symptoms like headaches, nausea and diarrhea are simply part of a stress response or a physical condition caused by exposure to the latest climate disaster in her town.
However, psychologists say the distress faced by Moore and her neighbours is part of a worrying growth in mental health issues and trauma linked to the increasing incidents of flooding and other climate disasters occurring across the country. These experiences have been documented in studies over the past decade.
Three years after an August 2014 downpour in Burlington, Ont. 91裸聊视频� when 196 millimetres of rain fell in seven hours, flooding 3,500 homes 91裸聊视频� the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo released a psychological impact survey. Researchers found that 48 per cent of about 500 disaster victims said that following every major storm after that 2014 flood, their stress level was a 4.5 on a scale of 5, representing 91裸聊视频渕aximum mental stress.91裸聊视频�
Moore, who bought her Nova Scotia property in 2009, said that since 2021 she91裸聊视频檚 had to use her industrial-sized pump to flush out about 1.2 to 1.5 metres of sewage water from her basement on three occasions. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 very, very emotional91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频減anic inducing91裸聊视频� each time a weather alert calls for thunderstorms in the valley, she said.
91裸聊视频淲e have to start rearranging our day so that if (the street) does overflow, we can be home. We91裸聊视频檝e cancelled vacations and trips because we can91裸聊视频檛 leave our homes unattended.91裸聊视频�
At times, she simply internalizes her distress, making checklists of things she can do to keep her home as safe as possible.
Often, she feels 91裸聊视频渃ompletely numb,91裸聊视频� she said.
Stefania Maggi, a psychology professor at Carleton University, said an extreme weather event 91裸聊视频� such as a fire, flood and heat wave 91裸聊视频� can leave lasting emotional consequences.
91裸聊视频淥ften, there is this overwhelming feeling that climate change is so big and such a difficult challenge to overcome that we feel powerless,91裸聊视频� she said in a recent interview.
Theodore Cosco, associate professor at Simon Fraser University91裸聊视频檚 gerontology department, said repeated exposure to extreme weather events could affect people in the immediate, short and long terms.
A short-term impact because of property damage, loss of life or home could cause post-traumatic stress disorder, while in the long term there may be generalized anxiety around the next potential climate disaster, he said.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 this uncertainty, unpredictability, uncontrollability that is in the future.91裸聊视频�
Depending on the age of the person and other pre-existing conditions, Maggi said it is possible that the anxiety and stress caused by climate change and weather-related events could lead to sleep disturbances, nervousness, and mood and appetite changes.
91裸聊视频淭hese are all common responses to a traumatic experience, she said. 91裸聊视频淭ypically, these are short-term effects that tend to resolve after several days or a few weeks, but occasionally, they will last for longer periods of time such as several weeks or months.91裸聊视频�
Amanda Dunfield, who is Moore91裸聊视频檚 neighbour, said that in July 2023, after more than 250 millimetres of rain fell in the area, her family piled smaller pieces of furniture atop larger ones, tied up the drapes and evacuated. Last week, when more than 100 mm fell on Windsor, she once again was in response mode.
She has spent thousands of dollars upgrading her house since she bought it about three years ago, but the flooding continues. 91裸聊视频淚 mean, it91裸聊视频檚 a house. It91裸聊视频檚 not a submarine,91裸聊视频� she said.
For Dunfield, part of the distress is the sense that municipal and provincial political leaders aren91裸聊视频檛 moving quickly enough to repair and upgrade infrastructure 91裸聊视频� or provide reasonable offers to buy their homes. Meanwhile, moving isn91裸聊视频檛 an option due to the low prices offered for homes in her area.
The municipality of West Hants has said it91裸聊视频檚 studying how to separate the water systems in the area 91裸聊视频� to create one pipe for sanitary sewage and another for storm water. However, Mayor Abraham Zebian said in an interview last week, the engineering solution is complex.
91裸聊视频淲ith a system as large and old as the one which handles the storm water in the core of Windsor, it91裸聊视频檚 not an overnight solution.91裸聊视频�
Meanwhile, as officials try to find solutions, Dunfield said she and her neighbours struggle with a sense of loss 91裸聊视频� and growing frustration.
91裸聊视频淚 think grief certainly exists,91裸聊视频� said Dunfield. 91裸聊视频淪ometimes it91裸聊视频檚 frank sorrow. I have had times when I just sit and sob for days when it91裸聊视频檚 all over and the adrenalin leaves, and you91裸聊视频檙e exhausted.91裸聊视频�
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