Could victims of March 2 storms suffer from PTSD?

PINER, Ky. - Most can't imagine the trauma of hiding from a tornado in your basement or losing your home to the sudden fury of Mother Nature.

Storms victims 9 On Your Side spoke with said they dealt with that trauma over the past year.

“When something like this happens to your home, it's frightening and totally out of your control,” said Dr. Jeffrey Strawn, a psychiatrist with UC Health.

Dr. Strawn says tornado victims may suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Often patients will experience symptoms of severe extreme anxiety, difficulty with sleep, nightmares, they may have flashbacks, or try to avoid things that remind them of the trauma,” said Strawn.

He said an anniversary could re-activate symptoms, but as people re-build, they can gain a greater sense of control over events and over their own fears.

Several Piner residents told 9 On your Sid say they've had nightmares and get really anxious when the wind blows hard.

Some are reliving the memories as the anniversary approaches. But when you look at what residents have accomplished together this year, it seems like they're taking back control of their lives.

(View an interactive map of the tornado's path here).