Helping Children Cope With Disaster From "Helping Children Cope With Disaster." developed by the American Red Cross with important links at the bottom of the page.
Disasters may strike quickly and without warning. These events can be frightening for adults, but they are traumatic for children if they don't know what to do.
During a disaster, your family may have to leave your home and daily routine. Children may become anxious, confused, or frightened. It is important to give children guidance that will help them reduce their fears.
Children and Their Response to Disaster
Children depend on daily routines: They wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, play with friends. When emergencies or disasters interrupt this routine, children may become anxious.
In a disaster, they'll look to you and other adults for help. How you react to an emergency gives them clues on how to act. If you react with alarm, a child may become more scared. They see our fear as proof that the danger is real. If you seem overcome with a sense of loss, a child may feel their losses more strongly.
Children's fears also may stem from their imagination, and you should take these feelings seriously. A child who feels afraid is afraid. Your words and actions can provide reassurance. When talking with your child, be sure to present a realistic picture that is both honest and manageable.
Feelings of fear are healthy and natural for adults and children. But as an adult, you need to keep control of the situation. When you're sure that danger has passed, concentrate on your child's emotional needs by asking the child what's uppermost in his or her mind. Having children participate in the family's recovery activities will help them feel that their life will return to "normal." Your response during this time may have a lasting impact.
Be aware that after a disaster, children are most afraid that--
The event will happen again.
Someone will be injured or killed.
They will be separated from the family.
They will be left alone.
Advice to Parents:
Prepare for Disaster
You can create a Family Disaster Plan and practice it so that everyone will remember what to do when a disaster does occur.
Contact your local emergency management or civil defense office, or your local Red Cross chapter for materials that describe how your family can create a disaster plan. Everyone in the household, including children, should play a part in the family's response and recovery efforts.
Teach your child how to recognize danger signals. Make sure your child knows what smoke detectors, fire alarms and local community warning systems (horns, sirens) sound like.
Teach kids: when to call 911 (including if someone falls or gets seriously hurt or has trouble breathing); how to call 911 (if you get no dial tone, wait for one; hanging up will further delay your call. Quickly state the emergency, answer all questions and stay on the line until instructed otherwise by emergency personnel) Even very young children can be taught how and when to call for emergency assistance;
how to make long-distance phone calls, and
how to turn on the wind-up or battery powered radio for emergency information (mark the location of the emergency station on the dial).
Kids should also know when and when not to answer the door or phone, and know not to give their name to strangers or tell them that they are home alone. Many safety experts recommend: use a ruse to let a caller think an adult is home, such as "my dad can't come to the phone right now. Can I take a message?" Teach children to always answer the door, but not to open it for strangers.
Instruct children to talk through the door when strangers are present. Pretend a parent is home "My mom can't come to the door right now. Come back later." Don't open the door for deliveries. Tell delivery people to leave the item outside or drop it off with a neighbor. If you have a cordless phone, have your child bring it to the door, in case someone tries to get inside. Have a through-the-door viewer at kids' eye level or wheelchair eye level as well as standing adults'.
Help your child memorize important family information. Children should memorize their family name, address and phone number. They should also know where to meet in case of an emergency. Some children may not be old enough to memorize the information. They could carry a small index card that lists emergency information to give to an adult or babysitter.
After the Disaster: Time for Recovery
Immediately after the disaster, try to reduce your child's fear and anxiety.
Keep the family together. While you look for housing and assistance, you may want to leave your children with relatives or friends. Instead, keep the family together as much as possible and make children a part of what you are doing to get the family back on its feet. Children get anxious, and they'll worry that their parents won't return.
Calmly and firmly explain the situation. As best as you can, tell children what you know about the disaster. Explain what will happen next. For example, say, "Tonight, we will all stay together in the shelter." Get down to the child's eye level and talk to him or her.
Encourage children to talk. Let children talk about the disaster and ask questions as much as they want. Encourage children to describe what they're feeling. Listen to what they say. If possible, include the entire family in the discussion.
Include children in recovery activities. Give children chores that are their responsibility. This will help children feel they are part of the recovery. Having a task will help them understand that everything will be all right.
You can help children cope by understanding what causes their anxieties and fears. Reassure them with firmness and love. Your children will realize that life will eventually return to normal. If a child does not respond to the above suggestions, seek help from a mental health specialist or a member of the clergy.
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FEMA for kids
http://www.fema.gov/kids/index.htm
You can find trading cards with compeling stories about rescue dogs
at the section canine heros
http://www.fema.gov/kids/games/heroes/
"Since 1989, FEMA has coordinated an Urban Search and Rescue system. This system has 27 teams, funded by FEMA, which are located in many different states. These teams are specially trained and equipped to find people who are trapped by a structural collapse. The collapse might be caused by a hurricane, earthquake or explosion.
The search task force can be activated in an emergency and can arrive at the disaster within hours. Each team has 62 specialists, including medical personnel, structural engineers - and search specialists. The search specialists include canine specialists - highly trained and certified dogs that know how to safely go into collapsed structures and how to systematically search an area. They know how to locate trapped people and then how to let their trainer know what they have found. These very special dogs work hard and save lives. They are constantly training to keep up their skills. They usually live with their trainers and ride in helicopters, boats and airplanes in order to get to their job fast. They are real Canine Heroes!"
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A Scary Thing Happened
a children's coloring book to help cope with disasters presented by Freeborn County crisis response team is at:
http://www.fema.gov/kids/games/asth/asth_index.htm
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Earthquake Preparedness: What Every Childcare Provider Should Know
http://www.fema.gov/kids/tch_eq.htm
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earthquake home hazards survey
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