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Emergency Management Agency
Disaster Preparedness
Helping Children Cope with Disaster
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Disaster 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.
As an adult, you'll need to cope with the disaster in a way that will help
children avoid developing a permanent sense of loss. It is important
to give children guidance that will help them reduce their fears.
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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 may also 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.
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Advice to Parents:
Prepare for Disaster
You can create a Family Disaster Plan by
taking four simple steps. First learn what hazards exist in your
community and how to prepare for each. Then meet with your family to
discuss what you would do, as a group in each situation. Next, take
steps to prepare your family for disaster such as: posting emergency phone
numbers, selecting an out-of-state family contact, assembling disaster
supplies kits for each member of your household and installing smoke
detectors on each level of your home. Finally, practice your Family
Disaster Plan so that everyone will remember what to do when a disaster
does occur.
Develop and practice a Family Disaster Plan.
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.
Explain how to call for help.
Teach your child how and when to call for help. Check the telephone
directory for local emergency phone numbers and post these phone numbers
by all telephones. If you live in a 9-1-1 service area, tell your
child how to call 9-1-1.
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
should carry a small index card that lists emergency information to give
to an adult or babysitter.
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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 them.
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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Visitors since 09/10/2004:
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