The Compounding Effect of Domestic Abuse and Natural Disasters
By Joan LeMole, Development Director
“Human relations were laid bare and the strengths and weaknesses in relationships came more sharply into focus. Thus, socially isolated women became more isolated, domestic violence increased, and the core of relationships with family, friends and spouses were exposed”. (Dobson, 1994, p11 as cited in Parkinson and Zara)
Natural disasters and domestic abuse have much in common. Both can cause homelessness, financial strain, limited access to resources, unemployment, and increased substance use. Natural disasters are unpredictable and intensify the need for power and control that rest at the root of domestic abuse. They also play into gendered narratives that attribute greater agency to males and suppress women. When natural disasters and domestic abuse overlap, potentially devastating consequences result.
As researchers in Australia noted, the frequency and intensity of domestic abuse increase during and after natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. There was a forty percent increase in shelter requests in the US and New Zealand after earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. For example, the 1993 Missouri River Flood led to a 400% increase in shelter requests. Women reporting psychological victimization increased from 33.6-45.2% following Hurricane Katrina, while men reporting psychological victimization increased from 36.7% to 43.1%. Worse yet, disasters amplify gendered expectations that feed abuse. Society expects men to be brave, decisive, and protective, and judges harshly when these expectations go unmet.
Converging societal, economic, and institutional pressures heighten male feelings of inadequacy. This is especially true when unmanageable circumstances effectively render them (and everyone) powerless. In this environment, abusers who use intimidation and coercion for personal gain and gratification may reassert control through increased psychological, physical, and financial abuse. They often become more volatile and may refuse victims access to humanitarian aid and transportation. Silenced and sidelined, women’s voices and autonomy dissolve as male narratives gain strength and attention. Women may be told to “wait it out,” placing the responsibility for male violence fueled by inadequacy on the victim rather than on the abuser where it belongs. Controlling behavior is brushed off as “temporary,” out-of-character, and chalked up to “how males behave” in extreme circumstances. When natural disasters cause physical destruction, natural disasters may force victims to return to their abuser or require them to live in the same shelter where close quarters and limited privacy further inhibit reporting.
As with many aspects of domestic abuse, specific populations are at greater risk. Compounding stressors bring systemic inequities to the forefront leaving marginalized groups like those with lower income and immigrants further exposed. Damaged infrastructure like disabled telecommunication systems creates major obstacles to collecting comprehensive data. Continued concerns with confidentiality, privacy, shame, language barriers, and differences in data collection methods exacerbate underreporting. Disaster relief workers themselves may not seek assistance due to stigma or fear of losing their jobs should they show stress or fragility. Yet the tremendous increase in workload for domestic violence and disaster relief agencies in the wake of natural disasters leave workers exhausted and vulnerable.
Although we have few natural disasters in Maine, unforeseen circumstances have pushed people beyond their capacity and into new territory. The relatively recent global pandemic and catastrophic flooding in 2024 aroused fear and brought significant destabilization to our region. Ingenuity was required; state and federal resources were taxed in unprecedented ways. At the height of the pandemic, New Hope Midcoast saw a 37.5% increase in client interactions and a 16.2% increase in total clients. Emergency shelter nights for adults rose 14.8 % and 39.5% for children. Our chat service, a nonverbal means of connecting with an advocate should an abuser be near, was born during the safety-at-home mandate and gained momentum as the pandemic ensued. We partnered with area hotels to provide emergency shelter and housing, programs that still exists today. Advocates met with clients in discreet locations that accommodated social distancing. We implemented online support groups. Although court accompaniment paused, advocates continued to work carefully with clients through the Protection from Abuse (PFA) process. They intensified efforts to strengthen client safety plans by proactively considering how their abuser might leverage current circumstances to their advantage.
The dangerous intersection of natural disasters and domestic abuse require a calm, creative response. Community cohesion and resourcefulness are more important than ever. Trained advocates at New Hope Midcoast know that the physical, mental, and socioeconomic effects of disaster can escalate interpersonal violence and are ready to assist 24/7 by providing guidance. At New Hope Midcoast, victims make their own decisions as they regain the dignity and confidence to move forward. Please reach out at any time by calling 1-800-522-3304.