Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin said Tuesday that post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological problems among Harvey survivors are a major concern for recovery from the disaster.
"I think that absolutely is a concern. This is a major catastrophe, and one of the life-upsetting issues, when you lose your home and you're separated from your friends and family," Shulkin said on Fox News' "Fox & Friends." "I can tell you communities are pulling together, and people are supporting each other. It is really incredible to see the way people are sticking together down there."
He added that there are numerous veterans in Texas where Harvey did the most damage, and the VA is assisting in relief work.
"When you go through these types of emergencies you essentially check through the basic needs. Housing is number one, and we still have 10,000 people in hotels and hundreds of thousands of people who have damaged houses so that's the number one strategy," he said. "We've really done a good job in working with local authorities, the federal authorities and also the community groups to make sure those needs have been met."
The secretary then predicted that the recovery from Harvey will take months or even years.
"This is a long-term issue that many of these problems are going to go on for months if not years. When the president says that we're going to be there for the long haul and the governor is committed to helping people in the long haul and — that's what we're going to have to be prepared for."
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