March 06, 2023
King offers mental health support in cyclone zone
Comedian turned mental health advocate Mike King says people whose lives were turned upside down by Cyclone Gabrielle will need a lot of mental health support.
Mr King is in Hawke’s Bay with a team of counsellors and support workers from his I Am Hope charitable trust.
At the moment the focus is on creating community events and places people can gather for some relief.
“Whilst there isn’t much need for mental health support yet, because we are still in that sharing stories stage, no one has fully comprehended what is going to happen in the future. In the next couple of weeks, couple of months, that’s when the support is really going to be needed and we are going to be here for a minimum of three months while we assess the need and get around the communities and make sure they are going to be okay,” Mr King says.
He says there are lots of volunteers in the region now trying to help, but in a couple of weeks they will be gone and the community will start feeling isolated and forgotten.