Summary

PolicyWise for Children & Families in partnership with the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health engaged with diverse communities with lived experiences to better understand the impacts of flooding on mental health and psychosocial well-being. They also explored possible responses to support recovery.

The most common natural disaster in Canada, flooding especially impacts systematically excluded groups. The Webinar offers an overview of the study, followed by a panel discussion with Canadian experts on applying the recommended practices to different contexts. The Preliminary Report discusses the impacts of flooding on communities. The Final Report is a guide that includes seven public health practices to support community psychosocial and mental health recovery. These can be adapted and applied to flooding events across Canada.

Practice & Policy Implications

• Building strong relationships can lead to effective post-flooding response by reducing response time and facilitating greater reach, especially to people who are isolated.
   
• Collaborating across sectors and agencies post-flooding can help to streamline administrative processes and bring different groups together in a coordinated way.
   
• Gathering and sharing data and stories post-flooding can contribute to understanding community needs, strengths, priorities, and existing resources as well as support advocacy efforts for funding, resources, and services.