LAUREL COUNTY, K.y. (LEX 18) — Tornado victims in Laurel County now have extra assistance in dealing with the trauma, thanks to several mental health organizations offering their expertise.
Heather Monroe was one of those people who took advantage of these services after losing her home.
She has since developed anxiety about storms.
"I don't know if I'll ever get over it," Monroe said.
Monroe says she's on edge whenever she sees the slightest possibility of weather.
"Because it can fester into anything, like when I went to work that night, it wasn't even raining," Monroe said.
The unpredictability of severe weather has left her feeling vulnerable and powerless.
"It's really scary because you don't have no control over it," Monroe said.
Monroe says that when storm clouds roll through her town, she doesn't feel safe inside after one storm has destroyed her home.
"The security that you have when you go into your house and shut the door, is gone. Your door does not protect you. Like you feel safe in your house, you're not safe in your house," Monroe said.
Monroe has been seeing mental health professionals at the Levi Jackson State Park, where she's been staying temporarily in a camper. Other displaced tornado victims are doing the same.
"That's really awesome that they came here and did that. Me and my daughter both go down there and talk to them. And it helps a lot. It's going to take a lot of talking to people to get through it. But as far as me it is hard to confront the feelings," Monroe said.
Emily Griffin from Baptist Health Corbin is one of those professionals providing mental health support.
"It is very easy for us to kind of push mental health to the side. And we think that, you know, with time, it's just going to disappear. It doesn't quite work like that," Griffin said.
Griffin encourages tornado victims to seek help promptly rather than delaying treatment.
"It's definitely encouraged to try to work through it sooner rather than later so that it doesn't have any long term lasting effects," Griffin said.
She notes that everyone's coping process is different, but she applauds people like Monroe for already sharing their feelings just weeks after the disaster.
"You want to be proactive, and the best way to do that is to listen to yourself, listen to your body," Griffin said.
While Monroe says she's still trying to process what happened, she's focusing on her faith.
"I don't know if it's a fear that I can really face. The only thing I can do is just put as much faith and trust that I have in God, that he has a plan," Monroe said.
Monroe's fears stem from her daughter being home when the storm struck, resulting in a broken finger and dislocated shoulder.
