British families and communities rocked by Monday night’s bombing in Manchester now face an increasingly familiar reality: dealing with the aftermath of terrorism.
“This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see,” Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said in a statement. “We have a long history in Greater Manchester of communities standing together during difficult times. In the coming days we will be working closely with community leaders to address any issues.”
The suicide bombing was the first terrorist attack in Manchester in more than 20 years. In June 1996, a Provisional IRA bomb in City Center produced the biggest explosion in Great Britain since World War II. No one died in the attack, but more than 200 people were injured.
At least 22 people, including children, were killed and 59 injured Monday after an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena.
Candice Bohr is the executive director of Newtown Youth and Family Services in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, which helped the children and families cope in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2014. She said the resiliency of children and parents in the wake of tragedy should not be underestimated.
“That is one thing that we’ve seen here how resilient kids and families have become, especially the community,” Ms. Bohr told The Washington Times.
“Our community has pulled together to support families, to offer programs and services, whether they take them immediately or whether they’ll reach out for it at a later date. That’s the important part that we’ve noticed in Newtown,” Ms. Bohr said.
The Sandy Hook gunman — who killed 20 grade-schoolers and six adults — shocked the country with his brutality in targeting children.
Jill Pluta, clinical director at the Newtown Youth and Family Services, said each person’s experience in a traumatic event is unique and must be treated as such.
“It is important that, yes, kids can be resilient. So can adults, or some can’t,” she said. “That’s why I think it’s hard to say. Overall, it really depends on the individual and what their life has been like to this point.”
Ms. Pluta said those who need professional treatment to deal with trauma tend to exhibit changes in normal behavior and activity level.
“Problems with sleeping, changes in appetite, not wanting to participate in things they used to participate in, withdrawing from friends and family,” she said. “I would say a general level of anxiety would have to be expected, but a level of anxiety that is extreme certainly is a warning sign that maybe something additional is needed.”
However, she said, “it’s really important that people not rush into trying to fix things for people. It does take time for people to figure out what they need for themselves, and their family is not going to be the same as maybe what their neighbor does.”
With the frequency of terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom and across Europe in recent years, the British government last year began a civilian preparedness and response program.
Project Argus, led by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, was launched in March 2016 to help train civilians who work in “soft target” areas such as popular businesses, sports and social venues to assess and respond to terrorist threats.
In January, Scotland Yard announced that it would expand Argus — a three-hour training session — to thousands of schools and institutes of secondary education in the United Kingdom.
“As part of our ongoing response to the threat from violent extremism, we have worked with senior representatives from businesses, sports and social venues, as well as other agencies, running tabletop exercises to help them evaluate, review and ultimately enhance their security plans,” the U.K. Metropolitan Police said in a statement at the time. “This has recently included educational establishments — particularly targeting higher education.”
It is unclear if any staff at Manchester Arena had been trained or if any parents were beneficiaries of the training in local schools or other venues.
On Tuesday, parents and children in Manchester tried to continue with their lives and wondered whether there were any safe places.
Outside an elementary school about 3 miles from Manchester Arena, mothers were waiting to pick up their children.
Maria Anderez, a lawyer, was relieved that she had told her 9-year-old daughter that she was too young to go to the concert.
“She’s a big fan of Ariana Grande and Sam and Cat,” she said, referring to Miss Grande’s television series on the Nickelodeon channel. “I thank God I didn’t let her. What kind of a monster goes to a pop concert full of teenagers with a bomb full of nails around his waist?”
Manchester residents banded together to help the victims and those stranded in the aftermath of the attack.
Hotels threw open their doors to take in young people separated from friends and relatives. On social media, people offered those affected a sofa to sleep on or just a cup of tea. Taxi drivers turned off their meters to take home people who had been stranded by the public transportation lockdown.
Irene Collins, another mother, spoke with pride about the way Manchester and its people responded.
“Everyone says people in Manchester are really friendly, and this shows it,” she said. “We stick together when the going gets tough. We look out for each other.”
• Kevin Grogan reported from Manchester. This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Laura Kelly can be reached at lkelly@washingtontimes.com.
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