Topic > Hurricane Katrina and Crisis Counseling

Hurricane Katrina is one of the few catastrophic events that will never be overlooked. The final impacts of this storm were very damaging, and most people were still in shock months or years later. This event is close to being as tragic as the heartbreaking event of September 11th. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Hurricane Katrina was classified as a Level 3 storm with winds around 127 mph. This storm hit on August 29, 2005, and the total damage was estimated to cost approximately $160 billion. Emergency relief operations used much of the U.S. federal aid. Years later, the population is still not at the same level as before people were displaced during this natural disaster, approx. The lives of 200,000 people were uprooted. This hurricane was far from the norm that crisis consultants were accustomed to during previous catastrophic events. Most hurricanes are now being tracked with advanced technology. Because of the hurricane's spread, no one could have imagined that Katrina could occupy 93,000 square miles in the same Level 3 category for all the miles it had passed through. After this disaster, 231 victims were listed, but in February 2006 there were still 2,096 missing people. The Red Cross is “an international philanthropic organization, established pursuant to the Geneva Convention of 1864, to care for the sick and wounded in war, to ensure the neutrality of nurses, hospitals, etc. and help alleviate the suffering caused by plagues, floods, fires and other calamities.” The Red Cross has been criticized in the process of helping victims and anyone harmed or threatened by this dangerous hurricane. The Red Cross was also shocked by the tragic consequences of this hurricane, as were government officials. Nobody expected it to be so widespread. They were not prepared and are not to blame for this. The Red Cross was the crisis consultant available in this tragic situation. They were on the rescue and hired thousands more volunteers to run this event. Complaints submitted suggested that telephone lines were constantly busy, that relief centers were unreachable or difficult to find for affected groups, and that assistance was inadequate. In this case the Red Cross took the negative observations and comments on their response team to possibly improve in the future. Communication skills are for me the main thing to be a good crisis consultant. The parts that go along with this are the ability to remind people who ask for help and get the help they need that they are brave and courageous in doing so. Being able to verify with the client that their stress resulting from a certain disaster that has just happened and that they have personally experienced is understandable. Another skill that goes hand in hand with being a crisis counselor is having empathy. People going through this situation don't need sympathy, they need support and empathy. Someone to support them in the process of getting back on their feet after perhaps losing everything. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Ethically crisis workers need to be able to be able to make decisions for themselves if it is something that the code of ethics cannot fix about them. They must behave ethically themselves and make responsible choices. AND.