The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2022

48 JULY-AUGUST 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL A family member who left Kyiv said that in the days before the evacuation was ordered, there was “a lot of pointing fingers and bad-mouthing,” which she believed could have been avoided with better, more direct information. While nobody knew for sure what would happen, she says, telling people “what Plan A may look like” might have helped. “I would rather be told to plan accordingly for worst-case scenarios,” she says, even if they never happen. Your New Normal “Getting your body to safety is one thing. It may take time for the rest of you to catch up,” says Gehrenbeck. “There will be a lot of feelings washing over you. The strongest of themmay be guilt. I’m still trying to figure out what to do with that one.” Survivor’s guilt is real. Expect to worry about the people you left behind and the work you left undone. Find a support network of fellow evacuees—easily done when it’s a large-scale evacuation, not so easy if it’s a personal crisis like a medevac. If you’re evacuating as a group, consider sticking together at the same hotel; it’ll help when you need a shoulder to cry on or an emergency babysitter. Many families evacuating from Kyiv opted to move to Falls Church, Virginia, and enroll their children in the local school to maintain continuity. Loren Braunohler, a former Foreign Service officer and Kyiv evacuee, explains: “The bond you first created at post will only grow stronger as you go through the trauma of leaving a place, its people, and your home and belongings so quickly and unex- pectedly. That bond will grow even stronger as you start anew together in a new place with new schools, develop new routines and figure out a new temporary.” As the situation in Kyiv deteriorated, Braunohler and her fellow evacuees in Falls Church relied on each other during the darkest days. “You have each other to lean on, grieve with, and figure out how best to get through the tough times together,” she says. “At this point, your bond will be forever forged, and that is the silver lining of this whole chaotic experience.” It’s an emotional train ride, says another Kyiv evacuee. We’re “processing feelings of guilt and shame for occasionally wishing we had our comfort items while all this suffering is going on,” she says, and friends, neighbors and local colleagues are exposed to real violence and family separation. Those who aren’t directly affected by an evacuation have a significant role to play in supporting colleagues. “Ask us how we are,” says one current evacuee, “and be prepared for whatever answer we give. Not every day feels like an ‘Oh, I’m fine, thanks, how are you?’ kind of day. Acknowledge that we’ve lost a lot. Yes, we have access to insurance and have our jobs, our livelihoods ... but many of us left with two bags and a carry-on.” Offer to baby- sit. Fire up your DoorDash account, and have a meal delivered. Make plans to take new arrivals to the grocery store. Know that you will get through this, and eventually the stress of the hurried departure will fade into the past as you move into the next phase: hitting refresh on your newsfeed while waiting for the departure order to be lifted, or curtailing and finding a new assignment if it isn’t. “I wish I’d had more scope of imagination for the impossible to happen,” says Gehrenbeck. “Because that’s what is happen- ing. And I just couldn’t fit it in my head that Russia would lob missiles, send tanks and earnestly invade Ukraine. Twenty-three years into this gig, and this is our first evacuation. Luckily, those years have helped me to distill and refine what ‘stuff’ means to me, what home means to me, what to plan for and what not to worry about. Even with that perspective, we are still reeling. But we are safe, and for that we are grateful.” n Your Evacuation Checklist T here are many resources on the Global Commu- nity Liaison Office crisis management webpage at bit.ly/GCLOCrisisManagement. You’ll find a detailed list of what to pack in your go bag, including which documents, medical supplies and personal items you will need at bit.ly/GCLOGoBag. Important papers don’t just include passports: you’ll want school records, employment records, naturaliza- tion papers, birth and marriage certificates, and more (see bit.ly/GCLOImportantDocs) . Take the time now to scan these documents and store them on a thumb drive or in the cloud. Consider leaving an extra thumb drive with a trusted relative back home. For help developing a family emergency plan, go to www.ready.gov . At post, get to know your RSO staff and attend their briefings so you know what’s being planned in an emer- gency. Take drills and radio checks seriously. If you’re the employee, don’t assume your family has the information they need. Make sure they know what is happening, and ensure they are on all post communica- tion lists. Get ready before you need to: shred, donate and recycle everything you don’t need. Photograph your valuables—including serial numbers for electronics. —D.S.G.