Flooding takes a toll on mental health. Here's how Quebecers can help each other cope

Lou Borrelliis still working on clearingout his soaked basement,picking through the destroyed remains of once meaningful belongings.

"It's been pretty lousy, you knowall these sentimental things are garbage now," he said.

Borrelli'shome inDollard-des-Ormeaux, Que., in which he's lived since the 80s, was among those impacted by severe flooding after last week's record-breaking downpour remnants of tropical storm Debby.

Like many of his neighbours on Roosevelt Street, Borrelli's basement flooded with more than two feet of water, destroying photos and books he can never replace but will never forget.

"I was looking at the stuff and Isaid, 'Ok, they're in here now,'" said the 72-year-old, tapping the side of his head.

Somethingmaking the situation a little easier, he says, is the help he's been receiving from friends, family and his local community.

"My neighbourhe was here in the crawl space yesterday helping out on his knees,"Borrelli said.

"They've been very helpful, all the neighbours."

According to the latest update from Quebec's Public Security Ministry, 86 municipalities were affected bythe intense storm, which also ledto widespread road damage and landslides across southern Quebec.

On Wednesdayin Ste-Julienne, Que.,Public Security Minister Franois Bonnardelsaid in all 2,300 residenceswere flooded and about 460 residents evacuated from their homes. He said53 roads are still damaged and348 homes are still inaccessible.

"I know it has been very difficult for those people who have lost a lot during the weekend," Bonnardeltold reporters after a meeting with area mayors.

He said that if all goes well Highway 13 in Dorval, Que., could be reopened tomorrow.

'Very serious disruption' to well-being

Borrelli has kept a positive attitude throughout this experience, but experts say that's difficult to do.

"The destruction of someone's home is a very, very serious disruption to someone's health and well-being," said Joe Flanders, a psychologist and assistant professor in psychology at McGill University.

Flanders says after a natural disaster, it's common to feel anxious, disoriented, dissociated and discouraged.

In an interview, Mathieu Maisonneuve, mayor of Saint-Lin-Laurentides, about 65 kilometres north of Montreal, said some of his residents are unwilling to leave their homes, despite them being structurally damaged or flooded.

"It's not easy to go out of your home it's a [gut punch] when you cannot sleep in the bed that you were sleeping in the night before, when you see all your personal belongings go to waste," he said.

Maisonneuvesaid mental health support is being offered to residents by the local health authority.

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Recovering by connecting with others

Flanders says residents who have been repeatedly devastated by natural disasters have it even worse.

"It creates this kind of sense of impending doom that disaster canstrike almost at any minute, andthat sense of uncertainty and that chronic threat is really a perfect storm, no pun intended, for our nervous systems," he said.

Flanders says the way people cope with these situations in the followinghours and days can have a big impact on the toll it takes on ourmental health in the long run.

He says coming together in community, leaning on loved ones and supporting each other is "massively important."

"We recover by connecting with people, we recover by finding safety, we recover by working together, being in it togetherand slowly rebuilding order in the chaos together," he said.

LISTEN| Flooding impact on mental health:

Daybreak Montreal8:08What are the psychological impacts of flooding following tropical storm Debby?

The remnants of tropical storm Debby resulted in flooded homes, closed highways and landslides.Some people affected by thisare speaking out about the impact its having on their mental health. Sean Henry spoke to psychologist Joe Flanders.

Flanders says people staying connected offers a kind of protective factor against intense and difficult experiences that may lead to trauma and PTSD.

"[People] need to be heard, they need to be seen and feel that other people are present," he said.

'Making me a better person'

Ali Louati,Borrelli's next-doorneighbour who helped clear out his crawl space, also had his basement flooded, but he was travelling in Europe when it happened.

He says he was lucky enough to have his sister andBorrelli tend to his home in his absence.

"Thank God they were here," he said.

He says friends and family have been giving him a hand over the past few days, and he wanted to extend that same support to others.

"In this situation, neighbours need to be helping eachother," he said.

Borrellisays both receiving and offeringthatsupportisyet another cherishedmemory he'll be storing in his mind.

"I'm counting this as an experience in life and I'mfinding that I'm a little bit more empatheticnow to anybody who's going through any of this turmoil," he said.

"It's making me a better person."