As the search continues for hundreds of people still missing in the devastating Texas flood disaster, first responders, families and entire communities are grappling with profound loss.
Vik Bebarta, MD, founder of the Center for Combat and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research and professor of emergency medicine and toxicology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has extensive experience in both civilian and military emergency care during recovery efforts like the one in Texas.
‘The damage doesn’t end when the water drains. Survivors are left with loss, housing instability and disrupted care. And the responders, many of whom are from the same communities, carry the burden of what they saw and what they couldn’t save. Mental health challenges among first responders are real.’
– Vik Bebarta, MD
Bebarta speaks with Laura Kelley from the Office of Communications about the complex logistical and emotional challenges that first responders, survivors and communities face in the weeks and months ahead.