The Disaster Survivor’s Hierarchy of Needs: What Every Disaster Mental Health Worker Should Know

The Disaster Survivor Hierarchy of Needs is made up of six hierarchical needs: (1) Food, water, and shelter; (2) Safety; (3) Family and friends support; (4) Stress reaction; (5) Grief and loss; (6) Assimilation and accommodation. Disaster mental health workers need to be aware of these needs when working with disaster survivors, as lower level needs must be met before higher level needs can be met.