Helping Children Cope With Disaster

Disasters strike quickly and without warning. These events can be traumatic for adults, but they are frightening to children if they do not know what to do. During a disaster, children may have to leave their homes and have their daily routines disrupted. This may leave a child frightened, anxious and confused. As an adult, you will need to cope with disaster and also give your children crucial guidance about how to respond and handle the situation.

Children depend on their daily routines: They wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, play with friends. When emergencies or disasters interrupt this routine, some children have difficulty coping with these changes.

In a disaster, they will look to you and other adults for help and guidance. How you react to an emergency gives them clues about how to act. If you react with alarm, a child may become scared. They see our fear as proof that the danger is real. That is why it is important to have a plan for each hazard that threatens our community and to ensure that children are included in development and exercising the plan.

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.

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 to explain what is troubling them. Your response during this "problem 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 rest of the family
  
• They will be left alone

How To Develop A Disaster Plan
You can develop your family disaster plan by following these simple steps:

• Learn what hazards exist in your community. Here in Escambia County we face many potential hazards ranging from fires or chemical spills to hurricanes. Some of your plans may be different for various hazards.
  
• Meet with all family members to discuss what you will do, as a group in each situation.
  
• Take steps to prepare your family for disaster such as: post emergency phone numbers, select an out-of-state family contact, assemble a disaster supplies kit for each member of your household and install smoke detectors on each level of your home.
  
• Finally, practice your Family Disaster Plan so that everyone will remember what to do when an emergency or disaster does occur.

After The Disaster

• Keep the family together
  
• Calmly and firmly explain the situation to your children
  
• Encourage children to talk about how they feel
  
• Include children in recovery activities such as cleaning, shopping, etc.

It might be helpful to print and save this page should you need to access it during an emergency.