USU PR — The Volunteer Team of the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FK USU), through the Department and Study Program of Psychiatry, provided mental health and psychosocial support to communities affected by flood disasters in Central Tapanuli Regency and Aceh Tamiang. The presence of this team became an essential part of post-disaster recovery efforts, particularly in assisting survivors in coping with deep emotional impacts and trauma.

In Central Tapanuli, the FK USU volunteer team established a mental health service post to provide direct assistance to displaced residents. Many survivors exhibited symptoms of acute stress, high anxiety, sleep disturbances, and excessive fear whenever rain occurred. One survivor, NS (60 years old), shared a traumatic experience of being trapped for two days on top of an oil palm tree because she could not swim, while witnessing her child, son-in-law, and grandchild being swept away by floodwaters. This experience of loss and the struggle to survive left profound psychological scars, not only for NS but also for many other residents at the evacuation site.

To help alleviate this psychological distress, the Psychiatry Study Program team of FK USU implemented Psychological First Aid (PFA) as an initial intervention to reduce psychological distress and strengthen survivors’ adaptive capacities after the disaster. In addition, the team conducted stress screening, simple counseling, grounding exercises, emotion management, and intensive psychological support. In certain conditions, appropriate pharmacological therapy was also provided, accompanied by spiritual support to help survivors make meaning of their loss and strengthen hope.

Similar efforts were also carried out at the Flood Disaster Post in Aceh Tamiang, where FK USU provided psychosocial counseling services for affected residents. The floods that struck the area not only caused physical damage but also left a heavy mental burden, especially for mothers, children, and the elderly. Psychiatry residents from FK USU focused their interventions on providing a sense of safety, calming measures, and strengthening social support so that communities could develop mental resilience during the recovery period.

The Head of the Department of Psychiatry at FK USU, dr. M. Surya Husada, M.Ked., Sp.KJ(K), emphasized that mental health recovery is an inseparable part of disaster management.
“Disasters do not only destroy homes and the environment, but also leave psychological wounds that are often invisible. Psychosocial assistance is crucial so that survivors can regain a sense of safety, function adaptively, and find the strength to rise again. Through these services, we want to ensure that communities do not walk alone in the recovery process,” he stated.

Through the active involvement of FK USU volunteers and medical personnel, these mental health and psychosocial services are expected to help disaster survivors in Central Tapanuli and Aceh Tamiang achieve more comprehensive recovery. FK USU reaffirms its commitment to continue providing sustained assistance, not only during the emergency response phase but also until communities are once again able to live productive and dignified lives.