An international disaster adviser shares advice for going through a difficult time.
Lucy Easthope describes herself as “the last responder.”
When disaster strikes, emergency workers rush in to deliver aid. But Dr. Easthope, a visiting professor of mass fatalities and pandemics at the University of Bath in England, tells me that her specialty is what comes after.
She has spent 24 years helping people recover from catastrophes like the Sept. 11 attacks, the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and the London subway bombings in 2005. Her many tasks include working in the rubble retrieving remains and personal effects, advising on cleanup and reconstruction, and helping stricken communities mend.
In her upcoming book, “Come What May: Life-Changing Lessons for Coping With Crisis,” Dr. Easthope writes about what a life in emergency management has taught her about weathering difficult times.
She shared her insights on how to deal with everyday loss and calamities like death, a bad diagnosis, divorce or being fired.
Make an ‘impact assessment.’
When she arrives on the scene of a disaster, the first thing Dr. Easthope does is write down every single thing that has happened, no matter how small: the collapsed bridge, but also the destroyed community garden. This is called an impact assessment.
When something bad happens, she said, we can all benefit from making our own impact assessment. Write down everything that’s affected by the event, whether it’s physical, psychological or logistical, she said. This can help you understand what you have been through, how it is affecting you in all realms of your life and what is or isn’t fixable.