Listening is key to helping survivors heal after Katrina, pastor says

Published: 2005-09-26

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CNS) -- "Traumatized" is not adequate to describe what happened to the millions who survived Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. And it is not just about coping with the storm itself, but also the chaos that followed.Since the storm hit the Gulf Coast Aug. 29, thousands of people -- from trained rescue workers to ordinary volunteers -- have been working with victims to bring relief. In the process they have been the first to hear the survivors' heart-rending stories. Though it may be human nature to want to erase their pain, a Pine Bluff pastor and certified crisis counselor said the most important thing a person can do is listen. "Part of what they're doing is they're getting straight in their own mind exactly what happened," Msgr. Jack Harris told the Arkansas Catholic, newspaper of the Little Rock Diocese. "When they share the story with one another they're getting information they didn't have, and they're putting together the whole narrative in their own minds, which is a critically important step" toward healing.

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