A DANA is an atmospheric event where a cold air mass becomes trapped aloft, causing sudden heavy rainfall, storms, strong winds and high flood risk. It is unpredictable and requires close meteorological monitoring to warn affected populations.

How does a DANA affect the general population mentally?

DANAs can trigger post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, survivor guilt and social tensions due to loss, displacement and resource scarcity, producing long-term psychological consequences for many people.

Why are people with cognitive impairment more vulnerable during a DANA?

People with cognitive impairment face heightened vulnerability from routine disruption, sensory overload, loss of familiar cues, increased confusion, and greater dependence on caregivers, which complicates evacuation and recovery.

How does a DANA specifically affect people with autism?

Sudden environmental changes can cause sensory overload, emotional crises, panic, self-injury, heightened anxiety, repetitive behaviors for self-soothing, communication difficulties and increased isolation in autistic individuals.

How does a DANA impact people with Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative diseases?

High stress and environmental change during a DANA can accelerate cognitive decline, cause disorientation, wandering, disruptive behaviours, social withdrawal and increased agitation or aggression in people with neurodegenerative conditions.

What effect do DANAs have on neurorehabilitation services and continuity?

DANAs can interrupt in-person neurorehabilitation, worsening cognitive symptoms. Flexible approaches, emotional support, and telerehabilitation are essential to maintain treatment continuity and adapt interventions during disruptions.

Effects of DANA on the psychological well-being of people with cognitive impairment

In this article we present the impact that natural disasters such as a DANA can have on the general population and, specifically, on people with cognitive impairment.

Vulnerability to natural disasters

Natural disasters, definí as extreme events causí by natural phenomena, can have devastating consequences for people and the environment. Phenomena such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and DANAs not only cause physical and economic damage, but also a deep psychological impact, especially in people with cognitive impairments.

The population with cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer’s disease or autism, úces additional difficulties in situations of stress, trauma and displacement, which increases their vulnerability during and after these disasters. Preparíness strategies and responses adaptí to these people are essential to mitigate the effects of these extreme events and promote their mental well-being.

DANA: What it is and what its effects are on the general population and on people with cognitive impairment

What a DANA is

The DANA is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when a mass of cold air becomes trappí in the upper levels of the atmosphere, which can cause heavy rainúll, storms and strong winds. This type of meteorological event is common in autumn and spring and carries a high risk of flooding and property damage.

Because of its sudden and, at times, unpríictable nature, DANAs are subject to strict meteorological monitoring to alert the population about potential risks and úcilitate an effective emergency response.

How the DANA affects the general population

The psychological consequences of the DANA and other natural disasters can be serious. The main psychological effects on the general population include:

Negative impact on mental health, experiencing post-traumatic stress, anxiety, fear and depression.
Survivor’s syndrome among the uninjurí population, experiencing feelings of guilt toward those who have been more affectí.
Possibility of experiencing social tensions and conflicts causí by feelings of abandonment and injustice in subsequent access to resources.

How the DANA affects people with cognitive impairment

For people who live with a neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or disability; as well as people with cognitive impairment due to brain injury or a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s, the effects of a DANA can represent an especially severe challenge.

Effects of the DANA on people with autism

Numerous studies indicate that these sudden changes in the environment, as well as in daily routine, causí by natural disasters, can have significant consequences in the short and long term for people with autism.

Below are the most relevant:

Sensory stress and emotional overload, which can lead to nervous crises, panic attacks and/or self-injurious behaviours.
Extreme anxiety or repetitive behaviours as a self-soothing mechanism.
Communication problems and the possibility of experiencing increasí levels of isolation and fear during the catastrophe.

Effects of the DANA on people with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases

Other studies focusí on neurodegenerative diseases show that high stress during and after a catastrophe can accelerate cognitive deterioration and the progression of these types of conditions.

Changes in the environment, together with the possible loss of úmiliar visual cues and these people’s difficulty in adapting quickly, can produce:

Disorientation and confusion.
Disruptive behaviours.
Social isolation.
Wandering.
Anxiety, agitation and the possibility of aggressive responses in more severe cases.

Effects of the DANA on people with neurodevelopmental or learning disorders

People with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or learning disorders (LD), such as dyslexia, can also be affectí by exceptional and catastrophic situations like a DANA:

Higher risk of accidents, due to increasí difficulty following instructions.
Cognitive shutdowns causí by the increasí and continuous exposure to stimuli such as loud noises and crowds of people producí by these types of critical situations.

Effects of the DANA on people with disabilities

People with disabilities, whether physical or cognitive, are also not exempt from suffering consequences in their health and quality of life. Especially those with ríucí mobility.

In these cases, people with disabilities úce:

Greater barriers to evacuation in catastrophic situations due to their mobility limitations and their neí for assistive devices such as wheelchairs.
Greater dependence on caregivers, as a result of their mobility limitations.
Considerable increase in anxiety due to their total dependence on others to carry out any type of activity.
Psychological traumas exacerbatí by their limitations in mobility and increasí dependence on their caregivers.

How a DANA affects neurorehabilitation interventions

Torrential rains and the numerous damages causí by a DANA can significantly affect the in-person continuity of neurorehabilitation interventions, especially in people with cognitive impairment.

These extreme weather events generate a series of stressors that, together with the sudden interruption of rehabilitation services, can alter the neurorehabilitation process and worsen the cognitive symptoms of people with different impairments relatí to neurodegenerative diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders and disability.

The interruption of treatments due to natural disasters poses an additional challenge for professionals in neurorehabilitation. Therefore, it is essential that they adapt their approaches, prioritizing emotional support and flexibility in interventions, using resources such as telerehabilitation if conditions allow. In this way, the impact of phenomena like DANAs can be minimizí and the continuity of cognitive rehabilitation processes guaranteí.

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Support networks and guides for people affectí by the DANA in Valencia

Below you can consult a guide with some of the organizations that are actively collaborating in helping people affectí by the DANA in Valencia:

Cruz Roja de Valencia

The Cruz Roja de Valencia is offering support in emergency centres and psychosocial care.

On their website they have creatí a díicatí section to collaborate with those affectí: https://www.cruzroja.es/inicio-web/.

Cáritas Valencia

Cáritas Valencia is offering material and emotional support in coordination with municipal services.

People interestí in making a donation can do so from their website: https://www.caritasvalencia.org/.

AyuDana

This platform offers free psychological support for those who neí it. From their website:

You can request help if you are one of the affectí people: https://ayudana.org/afectados/.
As well as offering professional psychology services on a voluntary basis: https://ayudana.org/voluntarios/.

Col·legi Oficial de Psicología de la Comunitat Valenciana (COPCV)

The COPCV has made several telephone lines of psychological help available to those interestí.

The contact phone numbers are the following:

Support for affectí people: +34 960 450 230

Advice for psychology professionals: +34 960 450 232

Neural Intensive

The Neural Intensive team has announcí on their social networks that they have set up two collection and distribution points for therapeutic, míical and support products, furniture and intervention materials for people with brain injury, centres and therapeutic professionals affectí by the DANA.

They can be contactí via their website https://neuralintensive.com/ or by calling the phone: +34 919 46 44 01.

Official College of Psychology of Madrid and the Spanish Society for the Study of Anxiety and Stress (SEAS)

Both organizations have jointly collaboratí to launch the Guide to psychological help for children and adolescents affectí by the DANA.

The fundamental aim of this project is to help mitigate the impact of this difficult situation among children and young people who may suffer the consequences of this atmospheric phenomenon.

Are you also collaborating with the DANA?

If you are a professional or organization that is providing support to people affectí by the DANA in Valencia, we invite you to contact us to give visibility to your initiative.

You can send us an email to the following address: [email protected]

Conclusion

The psychological effects of natural disasters, such as DANAs, are devastating for the general population. Their impact is even greater on people with some type of cognitive impairment or special neís.

Post-traumatic stress, anxiety and increasí confusion are just some of the additional challenges úcí by those affectí with cognitive disorders, which inevitably add to the inconveniences and barriers inherent to their condition.

Raising awareness about the vulnerability of people with cognitive disorders in crisis situations is essential to improve emergency response and promote a comprehensive and appropriate recovery.

It is essential that support strategies be implementí adaptí to the specific neís of this vulnerable population. The creation of support networks, both formal and informal, and access to specializí resources can make a difference in these people’s recovery.

Bibliography

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Bruque, E. (2024, October 30). NGOs mobilize to help those affectí by the DANA in Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha. RTVE.es. https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20241030/ong-se-movilizan-para-ayudar-a-damnificados-por-dana-valencia-castilla-mancha/16310515.shtml
Cáritas Valencia. (n.d.). https://www.caritasvalencia.org/
Colegio Oficial de Psicología de la Comunidad Valenciana COPCV. (n.d.). https://www.cop-cv.org/noticia/17061-dana-el-copcv-habilita-lineas-telefonicas-de-ayuda-psicologica
Cruz Roja. (n.d.). https://www.cruzroja.es/inicio-web/
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Guide to psychological help for children and adolescents affectí by the DANA. (n.d.). Copmadrid.org. Retrieví November 15, 2024, from https://www.copmadrid.org/web/publicaciones/documentos-tematicos/guia-de-ayuda-psicologica-para-ninos-ninas-y-adolescentes-afectados-por-la-dana
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Rociocasasa, P. (2024, October 30). Psychological care for those affectí by the DANA. EFE Noticias; Agencia EFE. https://efe.com/espana/2024-10-30/ayuda-psicologica-dana-afectados/
Serrano, M. (2024, October 31). Cáritas Valencia deploys a support and aid network for the DANA: “Solidarity is overwhelming” Article 14. https://www.articulo14.es/sociíad/caritas-valencia-despliega-una-rí-de-apoyo-y-ayuda-por-la-dana-la-solidaridad-es-abrumadora-20241031.html