Fiona-level storms bring trauma, but experts say leaning on each other will get us through
CBC
This is fourth and final part of the CBC P.E.I. series Changed by Fiona, exploring the impact the post-tropical storm will have on the Island's people and industries moving forward. Read part one here, part two here, and part three here.
Post-tropical storm Fiona was a traumatizing event; there's no doubt about that.
Experts say it's normal if people who lived through the September 2022 storm are still feeling the lingering effects. If others are not, that's OK too.
"It's really not necessarily the event itself. It's the way that we understand it. It's the way that we experience it," said P.E.I.-based clinical counsellor Alice Curitz.
"Which is why one person might, months, years later, still be experiencing symptoms of trauma, and another person two days later might have said, 'Oh, I'm totally fine' — and they experienced the same thing."
Curitz said part of the issue is that Fiona was not a single, one-off event.
The adverse weather lasted for only about 24 hours, but to this day Islanders continue to see and live in the midst of damage to their homes, communities and beloved places and spaces.
"We're not designed to endure ongoing, long-term stress," she pointed out.
There were lots of stressors that sprung from Fiona: damage to homes and properties, unplanned financial burdens, challenges accessing assistance, and even poor cellphone coverage.
Many Islanders also spent weeks without power. Curitz said she recently lost power at her house for two hours and it took her right back to that headspace.
"All of a sudden, I feel really cold again. And what if we can't cook dinner? And what are we going to eat that's cold and we can't cook it?" she said
"All of these things set in, and so I think this is a very natural response to what has happened."
Pelin Kinay can relate.
"I lost my electricity for 13 days and that really impacted me," she told CBC News. "I couldn't work; I couldn't focus on my work. And I'm a scientist. I'm prepared for this."