Many Kentuckians are now facing the aftermath of severe weather from both the devastating storms and flooding that occurred between February 14 and March 7, as well as the storms that began April 2. These repeated incidents can take a serious toll on mental health and leave people feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed.

For adults and children having negative feelings or thoughts, free crisis counseling is available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Helpline.

Call 800-985-5990 (Spanish Press 2) or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 (for Spanish text “Hablamos” to 66746) to connect with a trained crisis counselor. SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides free, 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.

Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions before, during and after a disaster. This national hotline provides immediate crisis counseling for people who are feeling emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. The hotline is toll-free, multilingual, and confidential, offering crisis support service to all residents in the United States and its territories.

Counselors can also provide information about recognizing emotional distress and its effects, coping tips and referrals to other call centers for more support.

For more information about who is most at risk for emotional distress from natural disasters and to find related resources, visit https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline.