29 Sometimes modern, luxurious homes are destroyed in hurricanes while simple, traditional homes survive – design, methods and materials make a difference. (Photo by Frankie Michael) • Continued from previous page This means that you must think: • Safety – before, during and after a storm • Survival – before, during and after a storm • Health – before, during and after a storm • Repair – priorities if physical damage occurs to property • Stress reduction – especially during and after a storm • Comfort – when possible during and after a storm • Convenience – when possible during and after a storm RESILIENCE At CARICAD we define resilience as: “The ability to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of hazards, emergencies and crises in a timely, effective, efficient and sustainable manner with the preservation and restoration of essential structures, systems, functions and services to create capacity for transformation and future adaptation to new realities.” People have different levels of Resilience and each person can have differing levels of resilience to different hazard or event impacts. Some people cope extremely well with obvious physical risk and danger but may fall to pieces under severe emotional stress. Make an effort to understand yourself and the other members of your family in terms of Resilience. Some of them may be terrified by the sound of the winds in a storm; others may be mortified by the sight of rising flood waters close by. Resilience is a state of being. Storms and hurricanes are severe stressors that affect our state of being – full stop. The effects can impact us for years. That means that we need to have a mindset that not only will we cope well in the present by doing our best to survive and be safe but we will adapt and thrive, no matter what we have to face. We will “bounce • Continued on next page
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