This prevents chaos in the event of a disaster. Planning for who is responsible for organizing a public memorial is the best way to quickly get the community back on the road to recovery. Another aspect of the community plan needs to address special populations that may have difficulty accessing services. At-risk populations need to be identified in the plan and means needs to be addressed for making certain that they do not get left out. Special populations may include various ethnic groups with language difficulties, senior citizens, low socioeconomic status individuals, and others that may have special needs in the community. Perhaps this can be handled by a special task force or by agencies that are already in place to serve these special populations.

Every disaster is unique and every community is unique. Therefore, it is difficult to devise a plan that will work in every situation. There are simply too many unknowns. However, the aftermath of Katrina emphasized the need for a concerted community effort and the need for a plan to be in place for the provision of mental health services. A plan that begins from the top-down assures that the funds and resources are available, should a mental health emergency response be necessary.

Knowing which local agencies and resources will be responsible for what is the most important aspect of the community plan. Grief is an unfortunate, but common part of the any natural disaster. Whether it involves a few individuals or entire communities as with Katrina, issues concerning grief need to be taken seriously. The long-term consequences of...

Including attention to mental health services and grief related issues in the disaster plan is an important part of the disaster plan. A community mental health disaster plan will help to ensure that services go beyond the basics of food, water, and shelter. This is an important part of helping to allow communities to cope and to help restore them to health as quickly as possible.
References

Frantz, T. (2005). Anger Beginning of Untold Grief by Katrina's Victims. September 6, 2005.

University of Buffalo. News Center. Retrieved July 7, 2009 from http://www.buffalo.edu/news/7483

Gennaro, N. (2006). Free Help for grieving victims of Katrina. January 14, 2006. What Matters.

Retrieved July 7, 2009 from http://www.unitedwaynashville.org/news/details.php?id=113

Hardcastle, D & Powers, P. (2004). Community Practice: Theories and Skills for Social Workers.

2nd edition. Oxford University Press U.S..

"Hurricane Katrina emergency hotlines and assistance" (2006). Retrieved July 7, 2009 from http://www.ibiblio.org/rcip//counseling.html

National Center for PTSD. (2005). Effects of Traumatic Stress in a Disaster Situation. Last Updated July 8, 2005. Retrieved July 6, 2009 from http://www.griefandrenewal.com/article33_ptsd.htm

Slayton, S. (2006). Hurricane Katrina: fear and grief tourism. June 25, 2006. Grief Tourism.

Retrieved July 7, 2009 from http://www.grief-tourism.com/hurricane-katrina-fear-and-grief-tourism/