Articles by Karen Deerwester

Hurricane Readiness for Children

Hurricanes and power outages seem to be coming whether we like it or not. Children need to know this in a way that makes sense to them in an age-appropriate way. For young children, age-appropriate means "how will it effect me?" and "what tools do I have to manage the experience?"

Parent Readiness
As with all difficult subjects that parents discuss with children, parents must first grow comfortable with their feelings. What is your stress level? What kinds of preparations and planning will help the adults in your home to better manage whatever problems and inconveniences lie ahead? Prepare yourself first. Children always feel safer when the adults in their lives feel secure and ready for anything.

Children, however, feel more secure with "real" emotions than with positive appearances. Children need to see adults handle fear, anxiety, sadness, and loss in mature ways if they are going to learn how to handle those emotions in their lives.

Before the Hurricane
Include children in hurricane preparation. Explain what a hurricane is and what happens when hurricanes approach places where people live. Take children shopping with you for the flashlights and the special foods. Children making small choices about what they want during the hurricane will give them a sense of control over the changes in routines. Focus on those good family times that happen when the power goes out - game nights, cook outs with neighbors, storytelling under the canopy of stars.

During the Hurricane
Children should know the hurricane plan. Where is the safe room? What do you need to have with you in the safe room? Explain as calmly as possible what is happening. If any actions need to be taken during the storm, leaking water for example, explain as calmly as possible what needs to be done: "Daddy needs to nail up a board here"; "Mommy needs to get some towels to put by the window".

Reassure your children that they are completely safe and that whatever is happening will be over in time. They are safe right here right now. Use distraction if fears becoming overwhelming - try singing favorite songs, tell stories of happier times, or try bear hugs and rocking together. Also reassure children that all their loved ones are also safe.

After the Storm
Everything looks different after a storm. Make a game of seeing what's different - verbalizing the changes helps children to process the experience. Attitude is everything. Explain temporary changes and give children jobs to help with clean up. Think of strategies to help others. Children will gain compassion as well as a larger perspective. We wish life were always easy but remember children have everything they need…YOU!

Karen Deerwester is the owner of Family Time Coaching & Consulting, writing and lecturing on parenting and early childhood topics since 1984. Karen is also the Mommy & Me director at The Ruth and Edward Taubman Early Childhood Center at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton.

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