Evacuations and your mental health
If you're in immediate danger or need urgent medical support, call 9-1-1.
On this page
- Your mental health during an evacuation
- Tips to help you manage your mental health
- Tips for parents and caregivers to help children
- Substance use
- Family and gender-based violence
Your mental health during an evacuation
It’s OK not to be OK. If you’ve been forced to leave your home or anticipate having to leave due to an environmental hazard such as a flood or wildfire, it’s normal to experience a range of emotions and reactions such as:
- grief
- sadness
- uncertainty
- helplessness
- excessive anxiety
- irritability or anger
- emotional numbness
- memory problems
- difficulty making decisions
- confusion, disorientation or lack of focus and concentration
You may also notice a worsening of these emotions and reactions if you have had past trauma or have existing mental health conditions.
Everyone reacts differently to an emergency. If these feelings are overwhelming or persist for a long time, reach out for help.
Here are some numbers you should know:
- Hope for Wellness Help Line for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples: Call 1-855-242-3310 (toll-free) or connect to the online Hope for Wellness chat.
- Kids Help Phone: Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to people in Canada aged 5 to 29 who want confidential and anonymous care from trained responders.
- 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline: If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Tips to help you manage your mental health
Here are some tips to help you prepare for, cope with and recover from evacuations due to environmental hazards.
Before
Being prepared for an emergency can help reduce stress. Create a self-care plan to prepare emotionally.
- Anticipate your personal reactions and ask yourself how you might feel.
- How do you usually react to stress?
- How do you know when you are stressed? Use the mental health continuum model to help you do a mental health check and know when to reach out for help.
- What do you do to make yourself feel better when you are stressed or upset?
- What can you do to relax?
- Make a plan ahead of time for who to turn to for support when you need it. This could include:
- friends and family
- people from your community who may be experiencing the same challenges you are
- people from outside your community who aren’t directly impacted by the emergency
- Prepare a list of available resources, services or hotlines in advance. This could include:
- your family doctor
- local mental health supports
- Have an emergency plan:
- Write down key contact information and addresses.
- Write down what might help you manage your stress and anxiety during an emergency.
- Talk to others who can help you and make a plan to support each other during an emergency.
- Prepare an emergency kit, including medications. Make note of how to store any medications you might need to carry.
During
During an evacuation, situations can change rapidly, leading to high stress and uncertainty. Protect your mental well-being by prioritizing healthy habits and allowing yourself to grieve.
- Focus on what is within your control.
- Set priorities and determine what can be done and what can wait.
- Try as much as possible to maintain a daily routine during an evacuation or relocation, and do things that give you pleasure.
- Try to stay as close as possible to family and connected to your social support network.
- Get in touch with friends, family and other support systems you have identified.
- Learn what local and virtual mental health care services and resources are available. Use and share this information to help yourself and others.
- Stay informed. Focus on reliable sources of information. Limit your exposure to television and social media content about the emergency to avoid increasing distress.
- Be kind to yourself and allow yourself to feel sadness and grief.
- Accept support and assistance.
- If you feel that your mental health is worsening, consider calling local, provincial, territorial or national crisis supports.
After
Make time for activities with friends, family and community. Reach out for support and assistance.
- Eat, hydrate, exercise and get rest on a regular basis.
- Use and share information with others about local support services.
- Set small goals for the day. These will give you a sense of accomplishment, and signal that you’re taking care of yourself and others.
- Visit and stay connected with friends, family, neighbors and colleagues.
- When possible, engage in fun and enjoyable activities like exercise, hobbies and social activities.
- Find healthy ways to relax, such as breathing exercises, meditation, mindfulness and listening to soothing music.
- Remind yourself and others that it’s normal to have many different feelings as well as good days and bad days as a natural part of what you have experienced.
- Seek professional help if you continue to experience any overwhelming feelings or behaviours and have difficulty carrying on with normal responsibilities.
Tips for parents and caregivers to help children
Children often react to emergencies differently than adults do because they might not understand what’s happening. Younger children might show fear, have tantrums or experience bed-wetting or trouble sleeping. Older children might feel sad, exhibit aggression or engage in higher risk behaviours, such as substance use.
Before
- Talk to children so they know you’re prepared to keep them safe.
- Review safety plans before an emergency happens. Having a plan will increase children’s confidence and help give them a sense of control.
During
- Stay calm and reassure children that they are safe and cared for.
- Talk to children about what is happening in a way that they can understand. Keep it simple and appropriate for each child’s age. Like adults, children and youth may “fill in” information that’s even more frightening when they don’t know the reality of what is happening.
- Listen to and validate their feelings.
- Learn what local and virtual mental health care services and resources are available for children and youth. Use and share this information to help yourself and others.
After
- Offer comfort and reassurance as needed.
- Encourage them to do things that will keep them engaged and distracted.
- Provide them with opportunities to discuss how they feel. Listen and validate that it’s okay to have those feelings.
- Provide children and youth with opportunities to express their emotions, including through creative activities such as drawing and dance.
- Set aside time to spend with kids. Younger children might need more play time while older kids might feel more in control if they can be involved in planning.
- Acknowledge that routines, such as attending school and leisure activities, have been disrupted.
- Talk to children and youth about how they will return to a normal routine and what the steps will be (for example, opening of roads and schools)
- Consider seeking professional help if a child continues to experience any overwhelming negative feelings or demonstrate unexpected behaviours.
Substance use
People use substances for:
- medical purposes
- personal enjoyment
- religious or ceremonial purposes
- coping with stress, trauma or pain
These substances can include:
Substance use is different for everyone and can be viewed on a spectrum with varying stages of benefits and harms.
If you start to notice that a family member or friend is acting differently than before or is having problems in various aspects of their life, they may be struggling with substance use.
Learn how to talk to a family member or friend about their drug or alcohol use.
If you or a family member are struggling with substance use, including while being relocated during an evacuation or environmental emergency, please seek help.
Find resources and support services in your community.
Family and gender-based violence
The financial hardship, stress and anxiety associated with being evacuated from your home can be linked to an increased risk of violence and aggression.
If you or someone you know is affected by family or gender-based violence, you can find resources and services available across Canada for support, validation, advice and referrals. Family or gender-based violence includes:
- child maltreatment
- intimate partner violence
- mistreatment of older persons
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