Your first instinct might be to jump in and say, At least it's only a house, or, In a few years, you'll have a whole new house, to make someone feel better. But in the early stages after a natural disaster, a person will still be mourning the loss of their house, family member, heirlooms, or pets, or whatever it is that they parted with, Dr. Baladerian says. Instead, it can be reassuring to say to someone, I'm going to be with you until you have your house back, or, We'll find our way together. Acknowledging how horrifying someone's pain or loss must have been is often more comforting than trying to paint a pretty picture of what their life will look like once they've recovered, she says.