That is not treating a tornado with the respect that we came to realize it definitely deserves.
It crushed concrete walls and twisted cars and semi-trucks around tree trunks.
Basements where people took refuge were laid bare when homes were ripped off their foundations.
Destroyed homes and debris cover the ground on May 23, 2011 after a deadly tornado in Joplin, Missouri.Photo: Julie Denesha (Getty Images)
The things that we thought we could control, you were stripped of, Camp said.
In all, the now infamous Joplin tornado killed 158 people.
That was in 2011.
Nearly 12 years later, survivors are still struggling with the mental toll of the natural disaster.
Theyre not able to enjoy life.
Some are struggling to keep their jobs, Camp said.
Its a familiar narrative.
In 2021,EF-4 tornadoesleft a wake of destruction throughout Kentucky just weeks before Christmaswell outside of tornado season.
People struggle with the mental-health impacts of these events years after the news cycle moves on.
It involves using virtual reality to take them back in time, to the night of the storm.
Windows look out on dark skies and lashing rain.
Inside the virtual world, the graphics are clunkylike something out of the Sims 2.
The mind takes over at a certain point.
They might introduce you to a room full of bouncing retrievers.
But bringing fears to life isnt always practical.
After all, a therapist cant summon a storm.
Even narrative exposure therapy has its drawbacks.
Or maybe because its daunting to call something to mind that you actively resist thinking about.
And survivors of a natural disaster dont need to re-experience that exact event to relive it.
That tells you how effective VR is at transporting people into their memories, White said.
Scientists dont completely understand how exposure therapy works.
Those mental breaks kind of wear out, said Price.
Then, it can start letting the amygdala know that its okay to calm down.
When it comes to helping people recover from their trauma, the therapy appears to work equally well.
In the progressive-muscle-relaxation group, average fear dropped down to only 42.
Virtual reality doesnt just have the potential to help us recover from the effects of climate change.
His game, Delta II, simulated sea-level rise in the Vancouver suburb of Delta.
I think virtual reality can be a cathartic release, he said.
Isobel Whitcomb is a science and environment journalist based in Portland, Oregon.
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