Introduction: Colorado’s 2013 FloodBrian Varrella, P.E., CFM, Chair CASFM

Research Results: 2013 Flood Induced Stress On Members Of Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers (CASFM)

Penn Gildersleeve, P.E., Principal Emeritus

ASFPM 2015 Atlanta

Session C3 Lessons From A Catastrophic Flood

Colorado’s 2013 Flood:

Disaster Impact On The Psyche Of An ASFPM State Chapter

Brian Varrella, P.E., CFM

Chair, CASFMColorado Assoc. of

Stormwater and Floodplain Managers

970-219-6496casfm@casfm.org

@CasfmOrg

Introduction: Colorado Sept. 2013 Disaster

Photo: Brian Varrella, CASFM, 2013

The 2013 Flood Was…

A Widespread

Disaster

• > 2,000 sq. miles affected

• 24 Counties affected– CDHSEM, Dec. 2013

Map courtesy of FEMA and ESRI (2013)

Colorado Sept. 2013 Disaster

The 2013 Flood Was…

A Diverse

Disaster

• >50% of damage was outside the SFHA

• Channels Moved

• Slopes Eroded

Colorado Sept. 2013 Disaster

Actual Zone of Erosion

MappedSFHA

Photo: Terry Martin, ICON Engineering, 2013

Big T. and N. Fork Big T.

from the Denver Post

(Andy Cross 2013)

http://goo.gl/2iLyDI

Diverse Disaster; Channel Migration

Colorado Sept. 2013 Disaster

Photos: Brian Varrella, CASFM, 2014

35 ft abovethe BFE

35 ft abovethe BFE

Diverse Disaster; Eroding Slopes

Colorado Sept. 2013 Disaster

Diverse Disaster: Freeboard??

Photos: Brian Varrella, CASFM, 2014

Colorado Sept. 2013 Disaster

The 2013 Flood Was…

A Human

Disaster

• 10 fatalities

• $3+ billion in damage– Gov. Hickenlooper’s Office (2014)

• 20,000 homes damaged or destroyed

– The Denver Post (2014)Photo: Brian Varrella,

CASFM, 2013

Colorado Sept. 2013 Disaster

ASFPM 2015 Atlanta

Session C3 Lessons From A Catastrophic Flood

Colorado’s 2013 Flood:

DisasterImpact On The Psyche Of An ASFPM State Chapter

STRESSS

Disclaimer• Based Upon Review Of

Hundreds Of Articles On Disasters And Stress

• Results Of Confidential Survey And Interviews With CASFM Members

• Assistance From A Number Of Experts In Disasters, Disaster Recovery, And Cognitive Neural Science

Dammit Jim! I’m an Engineer not a Doctor!

Particularly Useful References

• 60,000 Disaster Victims Speak: An Empirical Review of the Empirical Literature , Parts 1 & 2

Norris, Friedman, Watson, et al, National Center for PTSD, VA Medical Center, Vt. Psychiatry 65(3) Fall, 2002

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Disasters: A Systematic Review

Nieria, Bandi & Galea, Columbia University Medial CenterPsychological Medicine 2008, 38,467-470

160 Disasters of all Kinds

284 Peer Reviewed Journals – Multiple Types of Disaster: 90 Human Caused; 65 Tech; 116 Natural

Stress Literature Research SummaryDisaster Caused Stress Propensity Increases:

– Depends On Type and Duration Of Disaster

– Higher For 35 to 55 Years Old

– Higher For Married With Kids Living At Home

– Higher If Exposed To Direct Risk (Current or Past)

– Higher If Limited Prior Disaster Mitigation Experience

– Higher With Non-Disaster Related Stressors

– Higher If Female

“Over 94% of studies that compared genders found that women were disproportionally more predisposed to post disaster stress than men.” (Source: 60,000 Disaster Vol. 1 page 229)

CASFM QuestionnaireData Base

• 41 Questions

• 764 Members

• 47.5% Public Sector

• 24.6% Female

Responders

• 273 Responses (35.7%)

• 51.1% Public Sector

• 27.4% Female

Filter- Control Groups• 21.6% of Respondents (59)

Had No 2013 Flood Role• Male / Female• Public / Private

84.4% are Engineers75.8% are PE’s; 57.1% are CFM’s; 1 PE & Certified Paleontologist60.3% live in Denver Metro Area73.8% have Bachelor Degree; 30.4% have Masters; 1.52% PhD; 3.8% still working on degree

Our Survey Said

Marital Status

Single 17.1%

Married 82.1%

Separated 0.8%

100%

Q 3: What is your marital status?Q 4: Do you have children?

Children No 27.4% 1 14.5% More 39.9%Not Home 18.2%

100%

54.4%

Disaster Psyche Research Hampered By:

• Disasters: Unpredictable And Uncontrollable

• Ethical Constraints On Type And Timing Of Data Collection

• Difficult To Compare Findings Of One Study With Another

• I Found No Applicable Past Study On Similar Organization

The Difficulty With Stress

• Lack Of Concise Definition

• Hard To Diagnose – Constellation Of Symptoms

• Individual Effects Vary

• Some Stress May Be Good For You

• Too Much Stress Is Bad– But The Amount Is Different For Everyone

– Cumulative Impacts Are Inconsistent

– Treatment Highly Variable

Perception Is Important“I have experienced many disasters in my life time, some of which actually occurred.”

Mark Twain

Emotional Highs

Emotional Lows

Time

Truly Boring Person

Schematic Plot Emotions Over Time

Emotional Highs

Emotional Lows

Time

“Average” Person

Schematic Plot Emotions Over Time

Emotional Highs

Emotional Lows

Time

“Distressed” Person

Schematic Plot Emotions Over Time

Emotional Highs

Emotional Lows

Time

Schematic Plot Emotions Over Time

Pre-Disaster

Impact

Heroic

Honeymoon

Disillusionment

Reconstruction

Up to one year

Trigger Events

Anniversary Reactions

InventoryWorking Through Grief

Stress Research Summary• Type And Duration Of Disaster Is Important

#1 Man Made (9/11; Boston Marathon)

#2 Technological (3 Mile Island; Chernobyl)

#3 Natural (Floods; Earthquakes; Tsunamis)

Teton Dam Failure

Were the 2013 Floods A Natural Disaster?

Q 29: Rank the following from 1 to 7 in the order of culpability for the 2013 flood damage:

Gilbert White – Father of Floodplain Management

“Floods Are An Act Of Nature, But Flood Losses Are Largely Acts Of Man.”

Was It A Natural Disaster?Q 28: Do you believe that the level of damage from the 2013 flood disaster could have been decreased if better floodplain management decisions had been made in previous years?

• No 15.2%

• Yes 84.8%– Minor Damage Prevented 44.7%

– Significant Damage Prevented 30.8%

– Most Damage Prevented 9.3%

84.8%

Emotional Highs

Emotional Lows

Time

2013 FloodNatural Disaster

Stress ComparisonBy Disaster Type

Man-Made Disaster

Technological Disaster

Floodplain Manager’s Perception:I Could Have Done Better!

Prior Disaster Exposure:Colorado Benchmark Events

Our Survey Said:

Average Age = 43.8 Years62.3% Between 35 To 55 Years Old68.3% Born After 1965 Flood49.8% Born After 1973 Flood37.4% Born After 197624.7% High School Or Younger Prior To 1997 Flood

Q 7: What Year Were You Born?

Baby BoomersGen X’s

Millennial’s

Average Age = 43.8 Years62.3% Between 35 To 55 Years Old68.3% Born After 1965 Flood49.8% Born After 1973 Flood37.4% Born After 1976 Big T #1 and Teton Dam Break24.7% High School Or Younger Prior To 1997 Fort Collins / Sterling

Prior Disaster Exposure:

As Job As Volunteer

None 27.3% 66.5%

One 33.8% 18.8%

Two 19.5% 8.1%

Three 8.2% 2.0%

Four 1.7% 1.5%

Five 1.7% 0%

More than 5 7.8% 3.1%

Q 22: With How Many Natural Disasters Have you Been Associated?

61.1% 85.3%

Prior Experience:

Average Experience = 13.6 Years16.8% 1 to 5 Years27.1% 6 to 10 Years22.5% 11 to 15 Years17.2% 16 to 20 Years

4.6% This Is Their First Year16.4% Greater than 20-years

Q 16: How Many Years Experience Related To Stormwater & Floodplains ?

Floodplain Managers Assume Many Roles During and After A Disaster

• Survivor• Caregiver• Leader• Comforter• Information Source• Safety Officer• Communication Officer

– Media– Displaced Citizens

• Recovery Leader

Accidental Therapist

Our Survey Said:

Q 9: Your Role As 2013 Flood Survivor

19.8%

Personal Disaster Exposure:

You Family

Yes 13.3% (33) 20.1% (5)

No 86.7% (215) 71.8% (178)

Unknown 8.1% (20)

Q 30 and 31: Have you or any of your family been in personal danger as a result of a flood?

TOP CAUSES OF STRESSEXTERNAL ROOTS

• Money

• Work

• Physical Illness

• Personal Safety

• Family Tension

• Divorce

• Death in Family

• Moving

• Marriage

• Unemployment

• Major Life changes

INTERNAL ROOTS

• Inability To Accept Uncertainty

• Negativity

• Impractical perfectionism

• Low Self-Esteem

• Loneliness

• Inherited Issues

• Confusion Between Pain and Pleasure

Trauma From Disaster

Stress Symptoms...

... On your body ... On your mood ... On your behavior

•Headache•Muscle tension or pain•Chest pain•Fatigue•Change in sex drive•Stomach upset•Sleep problems

•Wild Swings•Feeling Nervous•Anxiety•Restlessness•Lack of focus•Irritability Or Anger•Sadness or depression

•Lost Motivation / Energy •Stalling or Ignoring Obligations•Change In Sleep Pattern•Over Or Under Eating•Angry outbursts•Drug or alcohol abuse•Excess Tobacco use•Social withdrawal•Anxious Habits

Common effects of stress

1

Non-Disaster Related Stressors

Question 14: Have You Changed Employers in the Past Year

• 9.8% Yes

• 4.2% Hope To

• 85.9% No

Our Survey Said:

Q 11: Rate Your Stress Symptoms All Respondents

Averages: 53.3% 28.6% 9.5% 5.6% 2.0%

No Sometimes Often Occasionally Most46.7% Reported

Stress Symptoms

Our Survey Said:

All WomenRespondents All Filtered*

Yes, Prior To Flood 6.4% 8.3% 10.0%

Yes Within Past Year 1.1% 1.4% 2.0%

Yes, Prior & After 3.0% 4.17 6.0%

No 89.4% 86.1% 82.0%

*Excludes those with no 2013 flood role

Q 10: Have You Ever Been Treated For Stress Or Stress Related Symptoms?

Floodplain Manager Job Satisfaction

• RISK: Millions Of Dollars Of Damage And The Death Of Innocent People, Public Humiliation

• REWARD: A Certificate Of Appreciation In A Handsome Plastic Frame.

Our Survey Said

Q 26: Do You Feel Good About What You Do As Applies To Your Work / Job

All Women FilterYes, It Really Fulfills Me 35.8% 35.5% 26.0%

Mostly, Sometimes I Get Bored 55.0% 58.1% 64.6%

Sort Of, But I Don’t Always Love It 5.8% 1.6% 5.2%

Not Really Some Days I Dread It 3.4% 4.8% 4.2%

100% 100% 100%

Filter = Removes Respondents That Did Not Have Flood Involvement and FocusOn Respondents Between The Age Of 35 To 55 Years Old

Our Survey Said

Q 23: How Balanced Is Your Lifestyle?

0.4%

Our Survey Said

Q 25: Did Your Organization Have The Right Number Of Personnel?

51% Said They Needed More PeopleExcludes Those That Said They were Not In A Position To Judge

Our Survey Said

Q 24: % Of Time Devoted To 2013 Flood Work

All Women Filter*No Flood Work 14.2% 16.9% 0%Less Than 5% 32.2% 33.8% 25.0% 6% To 25% 24.3% 24.6% 32.0%26% To 50% 9.7% 6.1% 11.0%51% To 75% 8.1% 7.7% 13.0%76% to 90% 7.7% 7.7% 15.0%Full Time 2.8% 3.1% 3.0%

100% 100% 100%

*Filter = Removes Respondents That Did Not Have Flood Involvement and FocusOn Respondents Between The Age Of 35 To 55 Years Old

70.7%

Our Survey SaidQ 35: During The Year After The Flood What Was Your Average Work Week?

Ave Total Hrs/Week 11930 11170 10885 10715 10535 9960

% W

ork

ing

Mo

re T

han

40

-Ho

urs

/wee

k

Our Survey Said

Q 36: During the past Year Were You Paid For All The Hours That You Worked?

Our Survey Said

Q 37: Since September, 2013, how many days of vacation have you taken?

Summary

Type and Duration Of Disaster

35 to 55 Years Old

Married With Kids Living At Home

Exposure To Flood Risk

Impact Of Non-Disaster Related Stressors

Limited Prior Disaster Exposure

Still Ongoing

62%

73%

33%

?? 14% Job Turnover

61% First Disaster

CASFM Members Treated For Stress: 11% of All Respondents 18% of Women 46.7% Reported Stress SymptomsResearch: Indicates 10% to 20% Of People Who Work in DisastersHave Prevalence For Stress Symptoms

Parameter CASFM Result

Be Aware Of Disaster Impact On

Yourself• Providers Are Not Immune And Should Attend

To Their Own Needs As Well As Others

• High Stress Demand Creates Risk For Fatigue Burn-out, And Reduced Effectiveness

• If It Can Impact You It Also Impacts Your Professional Colleagues

• Look Out For One Another.

Our Survey Said

Q 13: Have You Noticed Increased Stress Levels In Your Co-Workers Since The 2013 Flood?

*Filter = Only those that checked having involvement in the flood.

My Friends walked on, and I stood

there trembling

with anxiety –and I sensed

an infinite scream passing through nature