The impact of the Menasha tornado is not jut physical, some are dealing the psychological effects too, something therapists say is normal. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The potential for bad weather is triggering for some who lived through the Menasha tornado.
There are still plenty of visible reminders of the the July tornado in Menasha. And Wednesday morning was the first time residents in that community faced a storm with strong winds and heavy rain since that destructive day.
“The rain wasn’t so bad, but I heard the neighbor’s garbage hit the side of my house and that’s what woke me up. And then I came out to the window, it was five o’clock in the morning, and I saw siding going into the tree of my neighbor’s house. All the tarps started coming off and then my doors and my neighbor’s doors started flying open and I just remember saying please no not again. It was a lot, you know, because it was just even though it seemed like everything was gonna be fine my brain would not stop telling me like no not again this is gonna happen again,” said Jessica Ketchum from Menasha.
According to Hannah Keesler, Clinical Services Director at Samaritan in Menasha, those feelings are normal following such a traumatic event.
Keesler said, “Very typical after experiencing a pretty serious weather event that after any storm, any sound, wind, sirens, thunder could bring about the same sensation because the brain is basically perceiving danger as that is reminded, reminding them of the tornado in that experience or whatever they live through.”
Ketchum took her fears to Facebook, shortly after Wednesday’s storm. She posted about her anxious feelings and people responded.
“When I first went to the page because I was thinking somebody else was going through it too. And I didn’t see anybody making a post, so that’s when I threw something out there,” she said. She added, “And then when I saw all the support that was coming in I I had a seat I cried it out and my sister called me and we just weathered through the storm together.”
In situations like this, Keesler says community is sometimes the best medicine. She added, “Having that shared experience with your neighbors, it’s like talking through how you’re feeling. Keep telling your story and having that shared feeling of connectedness something that we all went through.”
Neighbors continuing to help one another because they are Menasha Strong.
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