HUNGARIAN BUS ACCIDENT in ITALY

Transcription

1 EFPA Symposium Bern HUNGARIAN BUS ACCIDENT in ITALY LESSONS LEARNED Annamária V. KOMLÓSI, PhD Júlia RICHTER, PhD Candidate Hungarian Psychological Association Disaster Psychology Section

2 THE ACCIDENT Around midnight January 20th, between Verona and Venice, on the A4 motorway at San Martino Buon Albergo a coach with 43 high school students and 13 adults on board crashed into a bridge pier and caught fire. 17 people - 11 teenagers and 6 adults - lost their lives in the accident. 25 people suffered injuries. The passengers were on their way home from a ski trip in France organized by Szinyei Merse Pál Secondary School in Budapest.

3 HUNGARIAN ASSISTANCE ARRIVING TO VERONA 1. Hungarian Consulate arrived first to the scene. 2. Hungarian Police and the Hungarian Ambulance Service immediately sent a team to Italy to assist the accident investigation and to help the survivors and their relatives who rushed to the scene. 3. Psychologists arrived to Verona. Six members of Crisis Intervention Team and three other colleagues independently. 4. Hungarian speakers from that area came to help and translate.

4 PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE IN THE SCHOOL The director of the Budapest School district had the authority to coordinate the assistance. FIRST WEEK The day after the accident she met with psychologist volunteers and invited them (some trained in disaster psychology, EMDR practitioners and others) to coordinate and plan interventions. Group sessions were planned for teachers Group sessions were planned for classes Pairs were appointed to facilitate the groups Supervisor was appointed who was responsible for helping the helpers Information leaflet was prepared with possible symptoms and resources Schedule was planned for the week with ongoing presence for individual help.

5 SECOND WEEK AND AFTER Psychologists of the school district were given the official mandate to treat and/or to make referrals. (Psychologist volunteers were no longer welcome in the school) Facilitate weekly counseling groups for survivor students Organize ongoing presence and duty service Refer more severe cases to a clinical psychologist or to a clinic Official psychological assistance offered by the school district was used only by few affected students, parents or teachers. Many turned to specialists outside the system. HPA Disaster section helped coordinate and find the right professionals.

6 MID-TERM PHASE OF RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE Majority of students (and their families, friends) tried to support each other in different forms, from the beginning. They met regularly in small groups, and talked a lot in the safe atmosphere of their peer group, or of their family. Parents formed a group of alliance to represent their interests. Commemorations were initiated by students. Slide shows, videos, shared widely on social media Students and former students ideas were taken into account by the school when organizing commemorative events Some psychologist (including members of HPA Section or EMDR specialists) were consulted by survivors and family members. They guided, supported their spontaneous coping attempts.

7 MOURNING AND MEMORIALS The Italian ambassador to Hungary and hundreds of students, parents, relatives and compassionate people gathered outside the school. They paid their respect by lighting candles, placing photos, drawings and flowers. January 23 was declared as a national day of mourning by the government. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and other officials attended a military ceremony in which the national flag in front of the Hungarian Parliament was raised and then lowered to half-mast. The next day a brief commemoration was held in all Hungarian schools.

8 THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INTENSIVE PUBLIC ATTENTION Compassionate reactions can help to validate emotions, reactions and needs of victims (affected people) and to call attention to circumstances that were possibly responsible for the tragedy. However, the too much and intrusive media attention may cause harm. Kids and other victims - should have been better protected from the media

9 EFFECTIVENESS AND DIFFICULTIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS IN THE FIRST FIVE DAYS (IMMEDIATE AND ACUTE PHASES REGARDING HOBFOLL S CRITERIA) Italian and Hungarian psychologists and other helpers managed to Ensure safety with presence, help connect them with next of skin Help stabilize arousal level Provide empathetic support Provide practical help Limit exposure to media Provide psychoeducation Detect and assess those in need of more intensive support Unfortunately there is no integrated psychological aspect of the Hungarian Crisis Intervention System, even only a few psychologists are well-trained in disaster psychology. So, the work of psychologists was in this case directed by a state leader with no prior background in psychological first aid or disaster management.

10 EFFECTIVENESS AND DIFFICULTIES OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE INTERVENTION IN THE MID-TERM PHASE (REGARDING HOBFOLL S CRITERIA) PROS Psychologists could help affected people promoting individual and community resilience providing psychoeducation about recovery and the services available detecting and assessing those in need of more intensive support (screening also with help of parents, teachers) providing professional support for those in greatest need CONTRAS As crisis and disaster psychology is not a widely known discipline in Hungary, and it has no official representation among mid-level decision makers in the Crisis Management System, the coordination with other interveners is often difficult.

11 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!