ATTC Network Coordinating Office
NIATx/Great Lakes ATTC
Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands on September 20, and the majority of the island lacks power or running water. Residents who remain on the island are struggling to overcome the enormous physical and emotional distress of the storm, the strongest to hit the island in 90 years. Recovery efforts are underway, but officials estimate that it will take months to bring things back to normal.
National Hispanic and Latino ATTC, based at the Universidad del Caribe, is offering immediate assistance. Through a request from SAMHSA and operating at a no-cost extension through 2017, the National Hispanic and Latino ATTC, led by Dr. Ibis Carrion, will be sending clinical psychologists to all regions of the island to train first responders and SAMHSA grantees in Puerto Rico on Psychological First Aid for First Responders.
Psychological first aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed approach to providing support to survivors following a serious crisis. It provides strategies that first responders can use to promote safety, calm, connectedness, self-efficacy, and help. PFA also teaches techniques for helping survivors manage the intense emotions that can emerge after experiencing a trauma or natural disaster.
The National Hispanic and Latino ATTC staff are mobilizing this effort while still experiencing hardship themselves. Their offices at the Universidad del Caribe have electricity and some Internet access, but at home most still do not have electricity, and some do not have running water.