Survivors of Indianapolis neighborhood explosion grapple with emotions

Doctors say survivors should share stories

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Posted: 11/13/2012
Last Updated: 193 days ago

INDIANAPOLIS - Those who escaped Saturday's deadly explosion on Indianapolis' south side are now grappling with a wide range of emotions.

Two people were killed and several homes were leveled when a blast ripped through the Richmond Hill subdivision, near Sherman Drive between County Line Road and Stop 11 Road.

Two days later, the events of Saturday night are still fresh in the minds of survivors.

Special Section: Indy Explosion

"We're just really scared. We still hear the explosions in our head, and I have two kids and they are really jumpy," said mother Rachelle Vaughn. "You don't think things like this are going to happen. I don't know what to do."

Dr. Steven Rumble, a psychologist with St. Francis Health, said survivors will experience an assortment of emotions, from anger to fear and confusion.

"This is something that's akin to grief because it's a loss of security that probably will never fully come back," he said.

Rumble encouraged survivors to talk about the experience and share their emotions as they return to their normal routines.

"Talking about it is so important," he said. "Being dispersed is probably good because they're in a safe environment. They can venture back in little by little and reclaim life little by little."

Investigators have not said what they believed caused the explosion. The National Transportation Safety Board has ruled out underground gas main troubles.
 

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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