SUBJECT: Hurricane Michael Mental Health Needs Summary
Bay District Schools (BDS) is a medium-sized school district located in Northwest Florida in the
heart of the Panhandle. Panama City is located in Bay County, about a two hour drive west of
Tallahassee. The Florida Panhandle consists of mostly rural, poor communities interspersed
with small cities and the occasional more affluent community along the coast. We have a
significant number of active duty and retired military personnel who reside here. Tyndall Air
Force Base and Naval Support Activity Panama City are both located in Bay County.
Hurricane Michael Impacts Bay County:
Hurricane Michael made landfall on October 10, 2018, between Mexico Beach and Tyndall Air
Force Base, leaving behind massive destruction throughout Bay County and 17 other
Panhandle counties. Bay County took a direct hit from devastating Hurricane Michael. The
Category 5 hurricane was the third-most powerful storm to ever make landfall in the United
States - stronger than Andrew and Katrina. The hurricane caused incredible damage, both
physically and psychologically.
It is difficult to put into words the impact the storm has had on our area. The widespread
devastation will have effects lasting generations. This part of Florida has never before
experienced a storm of this magnitude. There has been massive damage to housing, major
personal property loss to citizens, closure of or significant impact on many businesses,
infrastructure wreckage in all jurisdictions and the crippling of many aspects of natural and
cultural resources. Other consequences have occurred, such as huge economic losses, large
reduction in the workforce, reduction in population leading to additional personnel layoffs,
healthcare needs that cannot be met, and a dramatic increase in psychological issues from the
trauma inflicted by this event (Source: Rebuild Bay County, Florida Executive Summary).
The following excerpts, taken from a report by the Bay County Long-Term Community Recovery
Group, provide only a brief glimpse into the massive long-term impacts Hurricane Michael has
had on Bay County:
● 68% of all residential homes in Bay County were significantly damaged or destroyed.
● 73% of multi-family apartments in the most populated areas of Bay County are
damaged, forcing families to leave the area entirely or relocate to other portions of the
county. Many families are still living in tents and condemned homes.
● 200 damaged housing units are being rebuilt and are projected for completion in 3-5
years (Source: Panama City Housing Authority).
● 33+ million cubic yards of debris was picked resulting in damages left by the storm with
16 million cubic yards of debris picked up in Bay County alone.
● 2 of the only available hospitals in the area were seriously damaged, resulting in the
closure of critical trauma centers and greatly reduced medical care to residents and
visitors. There has been significant loss in the availability of medical professionals due to
the housing crisis.

 ●

●

11,000 military personnel and another 7,000 civilians staffed at Tyndall Air Force Base
provided an annual economic impact of more than $2 billion. This base suffered massive
damage with the estimated cost to rebuild this critical strategic installation being $4.7
billion.
3 million acres of timber in the region were destroyed, leaving a total of more than 72
million tons of fallen trees. This equates to damages to the timber industry totaling $3
billion. This industry represents a significant portion of the regional economy.

Hurricane Michael has created an enormous economic challenge. In addition to the loss of
businesses and workforce personnel, tax revenues for the county and all jurisdictions will be
greatly affected in the coming months and years.
To this day, more than eight months after the storm made landfall, basic needs are still not
being met for many residents - including shelter, food, water and security. Many families are
living in tents or campers in their front yards. Others are residing in their heavily damaged
structures, without roofs or intact walls. Bay County has suffered from the loss of five infants
due to non-health related deaths since Michael. Some of these casualties can be directly
attributed to the lack of appropriate space for safe sleeping or other arrangements for infants.
The housing crisis resulting from the storm has exacerbated the pain. Approximately 90% of
homes and buildings in Panama City were damaged or destroyed (source: Mark McQueen,
Panama City Mayor). Competition for living in the remaining structures has resulted in an
affordable housing crisis. With housing so severely impacted, rents in Panama City have gone
up 400% more than what they were prior to the storm. These factors have forced many families
to move out of the area. Limited and unaffordable housing have made it difficult to bring in
skilled workers and other professionals from outside the area to assist with our rebuilding,
medical, and mental health needs. This lack of available personnel and resources are further
exacerbating our challenges.
Populations Affected:
The devastation from Hurricane Michael has added to the already complex challenges within
large parts of Bay County. In the world of news and social media, Bay County is often
advertised as a popular tourist and vacation spot along the beautiful Gulf Coast. Pictures of
restaurants, hotels, and high end shopping areas are typically shared from Panama City​ Beach
and ​not​ Panama City. It is important to note that the majority of the beach area was fortunately
spared from the storm.
Coastal communities tend to be more affluent in nature due to higher costs for property and
lifestyle. However, in the case of Hurricane Michael, the eyewall directly impacted the east end
of Bay County, where a significant number of poor, low socioeconomic communities with
historically high rates of behavioral and mental health challenges (including substance use, child
abuse and neglect, and high suicide rates) reside. Research from previous disasters indicates
that these populations are considered "high risk" for developing long-term mental health
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 disorders after a devastating hurricane. Panama City proper and surrounding municipalities,
including Lynn Haven, Parker, Callaway and Springfield, contained the highest percentage of
economically disadvantaged residents. These already impoverished areas experienced the
brunt of the catastrophic damage. Tyndall AFB was also hit directly. On-base housing was
destroyed and evacuated families were only able to eventually return in an attempt to retrieve
any salvageable belongings. Most active duty personnel and their families received orders to
other bases as Tyndall begins to rebuild.
BDS serves families who live in these low socioeconomic, high poverty areas. According to a
recent 2017-2018 state report, ​57% of the total student population were economically
disadvantaged (free/reduced lunch). Neighborhood schools, subsidized housing, and
generational homes, all in the heart of low-income areas, experienced significant damage as a
result of the storm. In addition, many of our students and families are now living in new and
unfamiliar environments such as shared homes, tents, or RV’s, many with little or none of their
personal belongings. Prior to the storm, 748 students were identified as homeless. Following
the storm, this number increased to more than 5,499.
Direct Impact on BDS
BDS delivers a high quality education in a collaborative, safe, and respectful environment. Our
commitment is to inspire students in the development of character with the acquisition and use
of knowledge and skills as we prepare them for life and work in a diverse, global economy.
Prior to the catastrophe of Hurricane Michael, the district included 32 public schools and 9
charter schools. Approximately 29,160 students were enrolled prior to the storm.
Devastation from the hurricane immediately resulted in the closing of schools for an extended
period of time. Infrastructure was heavily damaged. Estimated capital expenditures to rebuild
and repair facilities exceeds $335 million. Our insurance will cover only $100 million. We have
applied for assistance and to date have only received $23 million in FEMA reimbursement
dollars.
Currently, 28 public non-charter schools, and 9 public charter schools are open within the
district with a total student enrollment of 25,137. Since the storm, the district has had to close
four schools and consolidate two more due to a combination of facilities destruction and
decreased student enrollment. The decrease in student enrollment has resulted in ​a huge
operational loss; ​$8.8 million loss for the 2018-2019 school year and an estimated $16 million
loss for the 2019-2020 school year. Over 25% of our Title I student population has left the area
due to limited housing. As a result, approximately 150 employees have been dismissed so far
and more layoffs may occur next year. In addition, more than 228 employees have been forced
to leave the area due to hurricane related issues. ​BDS is Bay County's largest employer. A lot
of families depend upon us for employment, for the money to take care of their families, and for
the funds to continue their recovery process. Employee layoffs deeply impact the community
from both economic and psychological standpoints. Children have already suffered so much
loss as a result of the storm. Losing teachers they love, and who love them, along with
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 administrators and support staff upon whom they count on is yet another devastating blow to
our youngest citizens.
In addition, a district-wide spending freeze was instituted and departments have been asked to
take drastic measures to cut budgets. This has greatly hampered our ability to bring in the
necessary resources to support the educational and psychological needs of our students and
staff in the storm's aftermath.
An additional hurdle in stabilizing the learning environment is increased teacher and staff
absences that are necessary for adults to restore their personal spaces. These absences often
result in substitute teachers who are not as familiar with the individual student trauma and new
classroom dynamics. Following Hurricane Michael, the daily average of unfilled substitute
vacancies is at 25% of needed classrooms. Our lack of substitutes result in students having to
combine with other classrooms where they are not familiar with the teacher or the environment.
The extra students and responsibilities are leading to additional demands and stress on our
educators, which hinders their ability to execute quality instruction. The loss of critical substitute
personnel from the storm has directly resulted in lack of substitute coverage. This challenge of
coverage does not allow teachers and staff to be away from the campuses to participate in
professional development and be equipped with the training and support they need in order to
restore the learning environment.
Please keep in mind that all of this is occurring while almost ​20% of our total current student
population is considered homeless​ due to the storm! You are reading this correctly - BDS
has experienced an approximate 650% increase in homeless students as a direct result of the
hurricane.
While the physical damage and resulting effects have been devastating, perhaps the hurricane's
greatest impacts have been the psychological toll it has taken on our entire BDS family (see
current state of mental health crisis for more information). ​We can repair a roof easily
enough; however, it is not as easy to repair a shattered mind.
Importance of Attending to Mental Health Needs After A Disaster:
Mental health services are a vital part of any disaster relief effort, yet are often overlooked. It is
extremely important that the mental health needs of children and adults are properly addressed.
Studies conducted after previous destructive hurricanes, such as Andrew and Katrina, show that
many children experience stress reactions, which may persist for months and even years after a
storm has passed. For example, seven months after Hurricane Andrew, approximately 40% of
children who experienced the disaster reported moderate to very severe levels of posttraumatic
stress (La Greca & Prinstein, 2002). If not properly addressed, these reactions can lead to
significant long-term psychological disorders that can greatly affect the individuals, their families
and the community around them for years to come. In some cases, this can even lead to
suicide. For example, Monroe County saw a significant spike in suicides after Hurricane Irma
struck the Florida Keys in 2017. In our own school system, we have already seen some of the
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 psychological effects of the hurricane on both our staff and students. Many students, for
example, have exhibited behavioral, attendance and academic performance issues since the
storm that had not existed prior.
We are extremely concerned about a potential spike in suicide and other mental health related
challenges. Yet, despite all of the research and best practices citing how critical mental health
services are after a disaster, our area has received very little support to address our mental
health needs since the storm. In fact, BDS has ​not received​ one single dollar for mental
health support​ as of June 6, 2019. ​Not a single dollar - from Federal, State or private
sources​. We do not have the resources to address the tremendous mental health needs of our
students and staff. As a result, we are currently experiencing an unfortunate and extremely
challenging mental health crisis in our schools and community.
Current Mental Health Crisis In Bay County:
The current mental health crisis in Bay County is like nothing we have experienced before. It
impacts all parts of society, in every community. It has also had a great effect on our school
system.
In March and April 2019, approximately six to seven months after Hurricane Michael, BDS
conducted an assessment of students and staff regarding their hurricane exposure and
psychosocial functioning. The surveys indicate significant levels of post-disaster depression,
anxiety and emotional trauma amongst students and staff (see table below). It is important to
note that approximately 38.3% of employees and 34% of students reported symptoms
consistent with at least one psychological disorder. These results signify that ​more than 1 in 3
of every staff and student​ in BDS will need a higher level of service beyond what typical
post-disaster crisis counseling programs can support.

BDS Assessment
(March/April 2019)

Clinical
Depression
Symptoms

Clinical
Anxiety
Symptoms

Clinical
PTSD
Symptoms

Students

27.6%

20.6%

18.7%

Employees

33.2%

29.2%

15.6%

Real world situations have reflected these data points. For example, our schools continue to
experience a high rate of students in crisis. At the end of the 2019 school year, there were a
total of 125 students who have had the Baker Act invoked since Hurricane Michael. The Baker
Act is the Florida Statute that allows involuntary examination and placement of an individual
who is in need of crisis stabilization due to signs of mental illness or threats of harm to self or
others. This is a last resort and is very rarely applied. However, this has almost become
commonplace in our schools after the hurricane as our mental health needs have been

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 unaddressed. In fact, in March, our district was averaging almost two Baker Acts of students
per day. To make things worse, the hurricane damaged our major behavioral health hospital,
resulting in only one receiving facility for Baker Acts in our county. This receiving facility has the
capacity to accept 16 individuals at a time, with only 4 of those 16 spots available for children.
As a result, students have been transported to other facilities in other parts of the state - in
some cases as far away as South Florida. This causes incredible, emotional, financial and
logistical hardships on the students and their families.
As another example, the district has received more than 725 Community of Care referrals since
the hurricane. A Community of Care referral is completed when school-based problem solving
teams identify students in need of intensive, individualized counseling services. The school
submits the referral to the district mental health team to refer out to our community agency
partners. Unfortunately, since Hurricane Michael, our community agency partners have reported
that they have lost approximately 40% of their behavioral health service capacity. This has
occurred at a time when the demand for services has never been greater in our area. Simply
put, there are not enough services to meet the community’s mental health needs. Due to the
decrease in service provider capacity since the storm, many students and families find
themselves on outstanding waitlists for services. Currently, we have more than 350 of our
Community of Care referral students on a waitlist for services or who their current service status
is unknown.
Suicide is a critical concern, particularly given the high levels of depression seen in our students
and staff assessment. In April, an elementary school principal reported that three fifth-grade
girls had made a suicide pact, brought razor blades to school and began to cut their wrists
during P.E. in front of all their classmates. This horrifying incident resulted in a high-needs crisis
that was incredibly traumatic for everyone who witnessed the event and resulted in shockwaves
that reverberated throughout our community. In May, another elementary school reported a
kindergarten student who had made statements about wanting to die, going to heaven and
having access to a weapon in his home. The student reported that he had heard similar
statements and conversations from his parents in their home. Also in May, during a one week
span, it was reported to BDS staff that three parents and relatives of BDS children committed
suicide. These traumatic situations are merely a snapshot into the daily crisis taking place in our
schools and community. The emotional trauma and stress of our students and staff are
impacting the educational environment across each and every school campus.
Crisis behaviors such as aggression, defiance, and threats of harm to others or self have
increased as the school year has progressed. This is due mostly to a lack of resources coming
into our area for mental health. As we’ve entered the summer and the hurricane season, most
Bay County residents have received little to no mental health support. We are quite concerned
about how the unstructured summer days will affect our staff and students. Again, the school
district has not received a single dollar for mental health support despite an intensive effort to
obtain funding.

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 We are at a critical juncture in the recovery cycle for mental health. Research tells us that the
7-10 month mark is when mental health reactions, if not addressed, begin to become chronic.
Chronic psychological disorders require a much more intensive level of services over a longer
period of time. Couple all this with the fact that basic needs are still not being met for many
families and we have the real potential of falling into a full blown humanitarian crisis should
another adverse event occur.
All of our community providers and mental health partners are doing everything they can to
support our students and staff. The fact is we do not currently have the capacity to address all
the needs.
Current State Of Service Provider Capacity within BDS
The district’s Student Services Department accounts for a variety of professionals who support
student needs with regard to mental health, including six school psychologists, one attendance
social worker, three social workers for homeless and foster care, six academic Multi-Tiered
System of Supports (MTSS) Staff Training Specialists, five behavior MTSS Staff Training
Specialists, and one English Language Learner (ELL) Resource Teacher. Work and time is split
across all schools and the professionals try to serve as many students as possible. The Student
Services Department conducts monthly meetings with school counselors and interventionists to
discuss best practices and updates. However, this group is in need of specialized training and
professional development as they remain committed to responding to our students’ needs after
the hurricane.
BDS Student Services is also responsible for the Mental Health Assistance Allocation Plan, per
the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act SB 7026. This funding was
initiated during the 2018-2019 school year. As a result, BDS established a small mental health
team, as well as a Community of Care referral system in which the district partners with
community providers. As students in need of supports that go beyond the school level are
identified, a referral is then made to an outside agency. We were fortunate to have this team in
place prior to the storm to assist with some of our students’ mental health reactions post storm.
However, the needs of our students have surpassed the team’s abilities to respond in a timely
manner. The BDS mental health team is currently down to only one licensed clinician, one
mental health liaison who assists with case management efforts, and one district level
administrator to coordinate the initiative.
The district also has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in place to support our adult staff.
However, this program is limited in nature and needs to be expanded to meet the significant
needs identified in the recent psychosocial assessment.
Community Service Providers that Support BDS
BDS contracts with a number of community-based service providers to offer behavioral health
services in the schools. Prior to the storm, the district had an effective system in place to
address student mental health needs thanks to a combination of supports from Student
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 Services and our contracted community partners. However, due to the increased need for
psychological services following the storm, coupled with the loss of capacity from some of our
contracted providers, the system has been overwhelmed. ue
For example, Florida Therapy (an active community agency within the district) provided
counselors to the majority of our Title I schools. These schools had caseloads of approximately
20-30 students receiving services. After the storm, many of these students returned to school
and found themselves without a counselor. We started the school year with counselors at 22 of
our Title I schools and ended the year with only 13 schools with a remaining counselor. Another
very involved community partner, Anchorage Children’s Home, had four counselors in our
schools before the storm. This partner has been down to only one counselor for the remainder
of the school year. These are just examples from two community providers that have been
impacted since the hurricane - and how their loss of capacity has impacted our ability to support
our students.
As stated previously, our community service providers reported about a 40% reduction in
regional capacity as a result of the storm. Much of this can be attributed to loss of facilities due
to storm damage and a loss of qualified personnel who left the area following the storm. This
reduction in capacity has hit our community particularly hard. A shortage of mental health
supports in Bay County has been exacerbated following the storm resulting in a system even
less equipped to handle the greater demand for services.
Due to the loss of service provider capacity and an increased demand for services, many
children and families find themselves on outstanding waitlists for much needed services. As
discussed previously, the Community of Care system established by BDS has been disrupted
due to capacity concerns with the majority of our community providers. BDS has more than 630
students who require case management, proper referral, and one-on-one counseling. These
students are not currently receiving any services due to the local needs exceeding available
local and state resources. In addition, there were more than 47 students who were receiving
counseling prior to the storm whose provider moved away so they are no longer receiving
services.
Another concern is that some of the current providers need additional training to deal with the
disaster related mental health challenges that have arisen since the hurricane. A recent
assessment of community providers by our mental health consultants, 7-Dippity, indicated that
professional development will be critical to enhancing their capacity to support the psychological
needs of our students and staff.
One positive is that the community provider network within our region is very strong. The
different organizations collaborate well. While BDS was already meeting monthly with
community partners, this storm has increased communication and sharing of resources. We
believe it is critical to maintain open, honest, and sustained communication with our community
providers. Assisting our partners also assists our students and staff.
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 FEMA Actions and Shortfalls
While no financial assistance has been provided, some mental health-related services have
been offered by FEMA for our community and school district. FEMA's mental health response
to the hurricane has consisted primarily of the implementation of the Crisis Counseling
Assistance and Training Program (CCP) and the sponsoring of three professional development
workshops for BDS staff.
There were three training workshops offered by FEMA for our school district, entitled Skills for
Psychological Recovery. To put it bluntly, these trainings did not hit the mark. The workshops
were delivered in a variety of formats with inconsistent messages. The topics merely touched
the surface of the faculty and staff needs. In addition, the trainings were not culturally
competent nor geared for the specific needs of our schools. Lastly, the trainings were delivered
on Saturday mornings, and FEMA would not offer stipends for our staff to attend, therefore only
100 out of our 3,300 employees attended in total.
The Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program (CCP) funded by FEMA is called
Project Hope locally. This is a Tier 1 level of support which provides some group counseling
and basic psychoeducation to the general population. Project Hope began working in our
schools in April. Four teams of counselors have been working with students in seven locations:
one middle school, four elementary schools and two after school sites. Project Hope also
conducts a weekly one-hour teacher/administrator support group at six sites, which reaches a
small number of BDS staff. Due to the limited and specific parameters of Project Hope, people
identified as needing more intensive psychological intervention are typically referred to
community-based mental health providers. Unfortunately, because of the lack of community
mental health services and the stigma in getting help or attending these groups in Bay County,
this model has been only partially effective.
Proposed Short Term Solutions
To be clear, Project Hope is a needed and helpful resource for some of our population.
However, our assessments and real-world challenges indicate this program will not be enough
to meet the needs of many of our students and staff. And while our Student Support Services
staff and other community partners are doing all they can, it is simply not enough. We don't
have the capacity internally or within the community to properly address the mental health crisis.
This is why the school district is specifically requesting funding to: (1) bring in additional mental
health professionals, (2) bring in support for case management services, (3) implement a
comprehensive professional development plan, and (4) bring in additional tools and resources
to address significant gaps. Working with disaster experts and peers from other school districts
affected by previous disasters, we have developed a feasible, comprehensive plan to address
the mental health needs of all of our students and staff. Please see Addendum 1 for additional
information.

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 We are in the midst of a mental health crisis here in Bay County. ​The data and real world
challenges we are experiencing back this up. There is no room for argument. We have made
repeated requests to FEMA, other governmental agencies, NGOs, and private foundations for
funding. As of this date, BDS has still not received a single dollar for mental health since the
hurricane. As we break for summer and look to the beginning of next school year, it is crucial
that we have the resources in place to address suicide prevention and other significant mental
health concerns that we know are coming based on research from other disasters.
Closing Summary
In summary, we have a particularly high risk, under-resourced community where mental health
needs are at a crisis level and are unable to be properly addressed. Data from assessments
show a significant percentage of the population may be suffering from one or more significant
psychological disorders. Additional data and real life events show that the situation continues to
deteriorate. Current mental health capacity will not meet the need for services. Research tells
us we are at a critical point in time where many mental health-related problems that could have
been more easily addressed may become chronic and harder to address. We know that we
have to match the cure with the need. This involves enhancing capacity by bringing in much
needed mental health professionals, providing case management services, providing
professional development and equipping providers and staff with the proper tools and resources
to meet our needs.

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 Addendum 1 - Funding Request:
BDS is seeking funding to: (1) hire additional mental health professionals, (2) hire support for
case management services, (3) implement our comprehensive professional development plan,
and (4) obtain additional mental health tools and resources. Our goal is to create “Mental
Health Support Teams” consisting of one clinical psychologist, one clinical social worker, one
school counselor and one paraprofessional in each school, supported by a Mental Health
Coordinator per every three schools. Professional development would be implemented
district-wide and for our community partners to enhance capacity and address critical areas of
need, including topics such as self care, suicide prevention, trauma-informed classroom
strategies and behavior management. Case managers will help the district address the current
630 Community of Care referrals in need of case management services. Additional resources,
such as consultant services and psychoeducational tools will ensure long-term support for
students and staff.
Proposed Budget (3 years):
Spending
Category

Description

Total
Year 1

Total
Year 2

Total
Year 3

Administrative Costs

Project Assistant

Duties to include: coordination of
schedules, intake calls from
schools, families and providers,
process messages, manage leave,
payroll, and contracts, make copies
for training needs, etc.

$45,000

$45,000

$45,000

Tools/Resources

Research-based tools and
resources to address critical areas
of need (e.g., suicide prevention,
psychoeducational tools, etc.)

$125,000

$100,000

$25,000

Professional
Development

Funds would be used to conduct
professional development in
needed topics (funding would
include travel and stipend for
facilitators, facility rental,
refreshments, materials, misc.
training costs, etc.)

$125,000

$100,000

$50,000

$295,000

$245,000

$120,000

Total Projected Administrative Costs

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 Addendum 1
Page 2
Spending
Category

Description

Total
Year 1

Total
Year 2

Total
Year 3

Operational Costs
Salaries and
Benefits
(see Table 1)

Salary and Incentive Costs for
Personnel

$11,079,100

$11,079,100

$7,053,000

Logistics,
Equipment,
Supplies
(see Table 2)

Supplies for each school site (to
include charters) plus a
laptop/technology for each
counselor/social
worker.

$280,830

$10,000

$10,000

Consultants,
Consultants and services related to
Contracted
mental and behavioral health
Services & Travel
services.

$200,000

$100,000

$50,000

Total Operational Cost

$11,559,930

$11,189,100

$7,113,000

Total Administrative Cost

$295,000

$245,000

$120,000

Total Per Year Cost

$11,854,930

$11,434,100

$7,233,000

3 Year Project Total:

$30,522,030

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 Addendum 2: Psychosocial Assessment Outcomes
The following provides brief outcomes from the Psychosocial Assessment of BDS students and
staff. Assessments were conducted in March and April, 2019. Approximately 10% of BDS
students and 20% of BDS staff were surveyed across demographics.
Highlights from the BDS Employee Assessment:
● Many employees reported symptoms consistent with clinical depression (33.2%), anxiety
(29.2%), and post -traumatic stress disorder (15.6%). In fact, 38.3% of employees
reported symptoms consistent ​with at least one disorder​ and 13.8% of employees
reported symptoms consistent ​with all three disorders​.
● Nearly all employees reported damage in their neighborhood, and more than two-thirds
reported changes at work or school resulting from the storm. Importantly, over half the
employees also had their homes damaged badly or destroyed, and a little over one-third
of participants reported that they had to move to a new place because of the storm. Half
reported that their clothes/belongings were ruined, nearly one-third reported difficulty
getting enough food or water in the immediate aftermath, and approximately one-fifth
reported that a member of their family lost their job because of the storm. Overall, this
represents a very high level of life disruption for BDS employees, as employees’ homes
and support systems were disrupted.
● Many employees continue to experience ongoing stressors related to the storm. For
example, 70% reported that damage to their home has yet to be fixed. Given this high
level of life disruption, it is not surprising that employees reported considerable distress
and life-impairment due to the hurricane. In general, more than 70% report feeling upset
about things since the hurricane. In addition, more than 80% report that feelings about
the hurricane/events interfere with some aspect of daily living – especially by preventing
them from enjoying and participating in things at work or in self-care activities.
Highlights from the BDS Student Assessment:
● Many students reported symptoms consistent with clinical depression (27.6%), anxiety
(20.6%), and post -traumatic stress disorder (18.7%). In fact, 34% of students reported
symptoms consistent ​with at least one disorder​ and 9.1% reported symptoms
consistent ​with all three disorders.​
● A substantial number of students reported experiencing potentially life-threatening
traumatic events during the storm. Nearly 40% reported perceptions of threat to their
own lives and over two-thirds thought that a loved one could be hurt or die. Such
perceptions of life threat are especially important for the development of posttraumatic
stress symptoms (PTSS). Approximately one-third of students experienced the windows
or doors breaking in the place where they stayed, and 14.6% reported seeing someone
hurt badly during the storm. Some students also reported a pet getting hurt or dying
(8.0%), having to go outside during the storm due to damage (7.9%), getting hit by
something falling or flying (6.0%), and being injured during the storm (5.1%).
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 ●

Substantial life disruption, especially with respect to housing, continues to exist for many
students. Specifically, 57% reported that damage to their home has yet to be fixed, and
30% report living in a different home since the hurricane. In fact, over 40% of the
students have moved at least once since the hurricane, and nearly 20% report moving
two or more times. Approximately half of students continue to struggle with the way
things look in their neighborhood, family members not getting along, and the way things
look at home due to the storm. Prior research indicates that loss and disruption events
after a hurricane contribute to persistent mental health concerns (e.g., La Greca et al.,
1996; 2010). On average, students experienced 4 to 5 loss and disruption events each.

Summary:
Overall, the survey results revealed that BDS staff and students were greatly affected by
Hurricane Michael, continue to experience substantial life-disruption, and report moderately high
levels of psychological distress. Almost 40% of adults and more than a third of students
completing the survey reported elevated levels of PTSD, anxiety, and/or depression. Of note,
the rates of depression among employees and high school students were particularly elevated.
A suicide awareness and prevention plan, coupled with professional development, should be
put in place as soon as possible.

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 Table 1 - Projected Personnel Costs by Spending Category

Mental Health Team Personnel Projection and Cost (3 years)
Housing Per Year Year One and Two
& Living Salary &
Total Cost Year
#
Incentive Incentive
One and Two

#

Total Cost
Year Three

Total Cost
Over 3
Years

$90,000

1

$45,000

$135,000

12

$2,736,000

12

$1,368,000 $4,104,000

$114,000

12

$2,736,000

12

$1,368,000 $4,104,000

$0

$57,600

26

$2,995,200

6

$345,600

$3,340,800

$53,600

$0

$53,600

38

$4,073,600

12

$643,200

$4,716,800

Mental Health
Coordinators

$79,200

$20,400

$99,600

12

$2,390,400

12

$1,195,200 $3,585,600

Clinical
Psychologist

$108,000

$20,400

$128,400

12

$3,081,600

12

$1,540,800 $4,622,400

School
Psychologists

$78,300

$20,400

$98,700

21

$4,145,400

6

$592,200

$4,737,600

Total

$608,900

$102,000

$710,900

134

$22,248,200

73

$7,098,000

$29,346,200

Job Title

Salary

Project
Assistant

$45,000

$0

$45,000

1

Licensed
Mental Health
Counselor

$93,600

$20,400

$114,000

Licensed
Clinical Social
Worker

$93,600

$20,400

School Social
Workers

$57,600

Case
Managers

Year Three

15

 Table 2 - Projected Equipment / Materials Costs by Spending Category
Proposed Materials Budget Projection
Description of Material

Quantity

Year One

Laptop Computer

133

$133,000

Printer

75

$37,500

Paper / Office Supplies

varies by
item

$10,000

Locked Cabinet

133

$33,250

Office Phone

133

$7,980

Office Furniture

133

$79,100

Total

$280,830

Year Two

Year Three

$10,000

$10,000

$10,000

$10,000

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