Recovery.SA.GOV.AU

The SA government disaster recovery website is a central point where you can find information about what disaster recovery is, and what resources are activated to contribute to disaster recovery. It also links you to information when local relief, response and recovery arrangements have been put in place during and following a disaster.

Response strategies refer to the actions taken to deal with the more immediate needs at the time of the disaster.

Relief centres

During the response phase of a major incident, the Emergency Relief Functional Support Group (ERFSG) may open relief centres near the affected areas to provide short-term shelter, information and personal support services such as food and temporary accommodation. The ERFSG, SA Health and Red Cross work in partnership to provide Psychological First Aid (PFA) at relief centres to affected community members. The Emergency Relief Functional Support Group also reaches out to the community through home visits and phone calls.

Psychological First Aid (PFA)

SA Health has a Memorandum of Understanding with Red Cross SA to provide Psychological First Aid and pathways to care for affected communities following a disaster. This support is also available for first responders or people Psychological First Aid aims to support natural recovery for those affected by:

  • Helping people to feel safe, connected to others, calm and hopeful
  • Facilitating access to physical, emotional and social support
  • Reducing initial distress, meeting the more immediate needs, promoting flexible coping and encouraging adjustment.
  • Providing both practical and emotional support and information
  • Providing information and links to other support services.

Recovery from mental health impacts of disaster

Recovery is the process of supporting communities, individuals and populations affected by a disaster to rebuild physical infrastructure and restore economic, social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. It is a complex process that is influenced by the nature of the disaster. It may last weeks, months or even years.

Common responses following a disaster

It is common for people to experience a range of emotional reactions to a disaster. Sometimes the impact is obvious straight away but often it's a slow process and can have a longer-term impact. Common responses may include feelings of grief and loss, feeling anxious and/or depressed, changes in sleep patterns, appetite and eating habits.

In addition to the trauma of the incident itself, it is also important to consider the potential broader impacts of a disaster on the emotional wellbeing and functioning of individuals and communities. This may include:

  • level of preparedness and prior warning of the disaster occurring
  • personal experience or threat to loved ones
  • physical injury
  • loss of family members or close persons, pets and livestock
  • loss of material belongings including houses and contents, vehicles/machinery, workplaces, resources
  • dislocation from home, community, workplace, and usual support networks
  • seeing and supporting others experiencing distress.

Visit the SA Government Recovery website for more information on response and recovery arrangements