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reduction, and deep breathing) had positive effects on PTSD and depression (Kim, Schneider, Kravitz, et al., 2013).
Another study showed that yoga proved useful in reducing sadness for victims of the Bihar floods (Telles, Singh, Joshi,
et al., 2010). A study conducted on the survivors of the 2010 floods in Ladakh showed that only a handful had PTSD or
MDD, and this was largely attributed to the social background and temperamental characteristics of the Tibetan culture
(Ishikawa, Yamamoto, Yamanaka, et al., 2013).

4.2. Governmental Measures
Disaster preparedness prevents a surge in the local problems that health services normally handle. The immediate
emergency response is provided under a highly political and emotional climate, and the responsibilities of the national
or local health authorities are significant. The governments of various countries have introduced policies and programs
for disaster management. The federal government in Brazil arranged for psychological assistance after a landslide in
Rio-de-Janeiro (Pereira, Morales, Cardoso, et al., 2013). The Mental Health Support for Drought-Affected Communities
initiative in Australia aims to provide crisis counseling to distressed individuals in rural areas that are drought-declared,
in addition to training for clinicians and community leaders. It also aims to improve the capacity of communities to
respond to psychological trauma resulting from droughts (Government of Australia, 2007). The Humanitarian Country
Team assisted the Sri Lankan government in the provision of psychosocial support to children and teachers in schools, and
women, to restore normalcy after floods. Other measures to restore normalcy besides mental health care support include
improving access to food, water, and sanitation for victims (UNRCO, 2017).
Initiatives as part of the recovery and reconstruction plan after landslides included rebuilding of damaged health
facilities and provision of psychosocial support. Priority activities encompassed early recovery psychosocial services
(Government of Myanmar, 2015). In 2006, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Health
and Human Services department of the US government conducted 91,000 counseling sessions for victims of Hurricane
Katrina. Catholic Charities USA, a charity which received over USD 146 million in donations, provided hurricane victims
with food, housing, and mental health counseling (Wang, Gruber, Powers, et al., 2007).
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines in India provide for emergency psychosocial first
aid and evacuation of acute mentally ill persons that could be followed by activation of the Psychosocial Support and
Mental Health Services response plan (NDMA, 2009b). Mental health experts were roped in by the administration to
conduct counseling for survivors and relatives of victims affected by the landslide in Adivare, Maharashtra (Isalkar
and Dastanel, 2014). Some studies have shown the usefulness of interventions providing mental health care support to
survivors of natural disasters in India. A study done after the 2004 tsunami showed that people in Chennai, India, who
received mental health support from trained volunteers, showed lower levels of depressive symptoms and psychological
distress in contrast to people who did not get similar support (Vijayakumar and Kumar, 2008). An intervention that was
initiated by NIMHANS in the wake of the 2004 tsunami was the stationing of teams of psychiatrists, social workers, and
nurses, to provide support to survivors in Nagappattinam and Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. This was done by providing
training to local health-care providers and teachers who, in turn, trained 1200 community level workers who provided
mental health care support to people. The study further advocated improvement in infrastructure and training with regard
to the provision of psychosocial care (Becker, 2007).

5. Discussion
The widespread effects of natural disasters are well known. They affect not only the physical aspects of the environment
but also the economy, social life, and well-being of populations (Gu, 2020). In addition to the loss of precious lives and
economic losses, disasters affect the natural growth and mental health of the inhabitants to a great extent. It is often
difficult to estimate the true scale of a disaster because physical damage is visible, but hidden damages could be much
higher and affect the socioeconomic growth of the affected families and areas badly. There are some definite patterns
that emerge in the aftermath of every disaster, which, if studied and understood well, can serve as an important pointer
for the future. There is a growing need for public health practitioners and researchers to understand the health impacts
of natural disasters. Our review critically documents several pathways for disasters to adversely affect mental health,
particularly among vulnerable populations. As there is limited evidence available, we reviewed the literature on how
disasters lead to poor mental health among the affected populations around the globe and try to conceptualize this in
the Indian context. The review documents how increased frequency of disasters with climate change can lead to PTSD,
adjustment disorder, and depression. Changes in climate and global warming may require populations to migrate, which
can lead to acculturation stress. It can also lead to increased rates of physical illnesses, which secondarily would be

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