SolveYourProblem Article Series: Hurricanes
Hurricane Facts, Tips and Safety Protocols

Your Child’s Emotional Needs After a Hurricane

Children are the most delicate of creatures and they need to be cared for. No disaster is going to take that basic need from a child. Therefore, it is up to you to help your child get the care he or she needs after a disaster such as a hurricane.

This may be hard for one or two parents to do alone. In fact, they themselves may need help as well. Therefore, the parents can reach out and join with their friends and family and take turns supporting the children.

Children have basic needs that must be met. Of course, the simplest of these needs will be food, water, shelter, and clothing. However, they still need hugs, kisses, and encouragement.

Some people have the capability of being strong during a disaster because having the child to take care of helps them to be that way. It is what would keep most people going. However, there is support for those adults who have children who are not as strong, and these can be used to rebuild the strength of those parents.

Church groups, counseling centers, crisis hotlines, soup kitchens, and other non-profit outreach groups all aid in giving support. This support can help adults get back together so they can give their children what they need.

Furthermore, children may experience nightmares, flashbacks, and extreme fear. They may not understand why their home could be just taken away, or they may wonder when that terrible storm will return. It can be a challenge to reassure your child in a situation like this, because not even you know if you are going to be safe.

Even if you do not know for sure if you will be safe you can reassure your child that preparing can help you be safe. Teaching your child how to better prepare for next time can be one of the most valuable teaching tools you can give your child. If they see that there are things to be learned from the previous disaster they will be more likely to recover than it if they do not.

Hurricane Katrina affected many lives, and many of these lives are the children. Now, just because you are told to help your child remain positive during this time does not mean that you need to sugar coat things either.

It is okay for your child to see some human emotion in you, and not to just say “everything is going to be okay” (you can say that if you want, but if you do not want to you don’t have to). However, your child needs to see that you have hope in you so that child knows what they can rely on if the danger were to ever happen again.

Another point to remember regarding honesty is to make sure you do not give your child the false hope that it could never happen again. You are most likely not going to do that, but in the case some people have said this there is another way you can deal with telling them the truth-if they are old enough.

If they are young children, however (say under 3 years old) explaining to them all the aspects of the storm could be tough. In this case you may just want to say the “bad storm is gone now”. Then when the child is a little older you may be able to explain more about it, and what to do in the future.

Try to be as open and as loving as possible to your child if your child needs you to hold him or her. Also, if your child is scared he or she may need to sleep in your room for a night. Maybe you can leave a nightlight in your child’s own room as well, or crack their door open and leave the hall light on.

Anything you can do to help make it a safe place for you child will help you and your whole family. Furthermore, your children will live as happy and as well-adjusted of lives as possible.

Emergencies and disasters can happen anytime, anywhere without warning. Protect yourself and your family. Click to see valuable emergency preparedness supplies and information. Be ready. Be prepared. I love this website. It's my SolveYourProblem recommendation.

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by SolveYourProblem.com : 2007

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