Disasters come in many forms and affect children and adults differently. Children take their cues from their parents and other adults. When these important people in their lives cope well in a disaster, children are more likely to respond positively. Adults can help children cope with the recent tornadoes by following some general steps:
- Encourage children to talk and listen to their concerns.
- Take time to provide factual information about the disaster and your plans for ensuring their ongoing safety.
- Take care of yourself so you can take care of your children.
- Offer them a sense of protection. Speak with confidence about the situation, and work with them to build up their sense of feeling protected. A good way to do this is to create a disaster supplies kit and a family communications plan.
- Help your children reconnect with people around them, family, friends and schoolmates. This connection can help strengthen your child’s sense of safety.
- Re-establish daily routines for work, school, play, meals and rest.
- Monitor and limit your children’s exposure to news coverage of the disaster. Children may think the event is happening over and over again when they see or hear repeated reports and images.
Available Resources:
The American Red Cross offers the following resources to help adults, parents, caregivers and older children maintain a healthy state of mind when dealing with unexpected events:
Maintaining a Healthy State of Mind – The Preparedness Today website was developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide information about the different reactions people can expect and how they can help themselves and others cope with unexpected events. The site is accessible through www.redcross.org.
