Emotional First Aid Kits Support Spain Flood Survivors

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By Mary Richards, Church News

Devastating flash floods in Valencia, Spain, at the end of October significantly affected the country’s third-largest city. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their neighbors lost lives and property when about a year’s worth of rain fell in just a few hours.

Church members and missionaries from around the country worked in the days and weeks afterward to clean up the mud and debris and bring donations. But besides physical relief, people needed spiritual and emotional relief as well. Many were struggling and suffering after losing their homes, facing road closures and more.

When Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ministered to the Saints in November, he said later about the experience, “We greeted, hugged each other, cried together and shared the love of the Savior with them. I thought that was the most important thing we could do that day — we all felt closer to Jesus Christ. That day, I felt like the Savior was embracing all of us.”

Meanwhile, Church members throughout Spain and Europe have been reaching out to support their brothers and sisters in Valencia. Many supported the area with volunteers and goods.

Psychological first aid has also been a key part of the Church’s relief efforts, and the Church’s Family Services in the Europe Central Area was quick to respond when leadership of the Valencia Spain Stake called and asked for help for members.

Rocío Gutiérrez, Family Services manager in the Europe Central Area, said after a crisis, people have many needs.

“We are often ready to respond to natural disasters by providing support for temporal needs, and often we forget that there are also emotional needs that may not seem that evident but are needed to address,” she said.

Members of the Friedrichsdorf 2nd Ward, which is a Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking ward in the Friedrichsdorf Germany Stake, also found a way to show their support, even from far away.

“They came up with this idea to put together an emotional first aid kit for them,” Gutiérrez said. “So they asked us for suggestions, and we gave them some suggestions. The first thing was to write a letter of hope. Each member of the ward wrote a letter of hope to include.”

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Gutiérrez said Family Services put together resources and handouts for the Valencia stake and especially the Catarroja Ward, which was particularly affected by the flooding. The information included tips and resources for taking care of one’s own emotional well-being after the disaster — including ways to identify feelings, connect with others, use breathing techniques, practice mindfulness, look to express gratitude and other coping mechanisms.

Led by the Friedrichsdorf 2nd Ward Relief Society president, Celia Díez, the encouraging letters from Germany were placed with printed self-help material and information from Family Services into a kit with other items — such as chocolate, herbal teas and hand lotion — “to help them disconnect and focus on something positive in the present,” Gutiérrez said. The kits were shipped to Valencia in November.

Paqui Leon, from the Catarroja Ward in the Valencia stake, said the emotional first aid kit was of great value to her during a difficult and traumatic time. The counsel calmed her anxiety and guided her decisions.

“Some of the tips, such as taking some time to take deep breaths, to calm my mind, to calm my body, to lower my blood pressure a little and relax — also thinking about all those beautiful little things that they sent here,” she said. “It made me so thankful that in the distance, there are people who remember you, pray for you and are looking out for your needs.”

Díez works with the Church’s humanitarian services office in Europe, and Gutiérrez said the whole effort turned out to be a great example of collaboration between local leaders, Family Services and the humanitarian division.

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Ministering During a Crisis

Family Services in the Europe Central Area has already developed resources and tools to deploy after a crisis, including a published booklet, which includes the discussion guide titled “How Can I Minister to Others During a Crisis?”

The five principles in the discussion guide are:

• Be compassionate.
• Allow others to express their feelings.
• Empathize and normalize responses.
• Suggest ideas for ways to cope.
• Offer hope.

Family Services also has a self-help guide called “Facing Challenges” and guides for helping children and youth face challenges. They have also provided training across Europe in the past for Church members and leaders interested in learning how to provide emotional care during a crisis.

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