What Parents

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for natural Prepare
Children Before a Natural Disaster

By Margarete Perriseau
• My name is Margarete Perriseau, I’m from Brasil. I have 2
daughters, 1 son and 2 grandchildren.

• As a licensed clinical social worker, I specialize in working with

children who have been through a traumatic experience.

• Resilience is a valuable trait to nurture. Children who are prepared

for negative experiences bounce back from them differently than
children who have not been prepared.

• I was fortunate to have a class on natural disasters during my

schooling which made me aware of the possible trauma children
could experience as the result of a natural disaster.
Some Quick Facts

• Natural disasters include hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes

and fires.

• Between 1994 and 2013, 6,873 natural disasters worldwide killed

1.35 million people.

• 218 million people are affected every year by natural disasters.

The 10 most significant natural disasters worldwide by death toll from 1980 to 2017
Most significant natural disasters worldwide by death toll up to 2017

7 Natural disasters worldwide

1.Talk to your children
before a disaster
Two actions to avoid personal harm
• Leave the danger zone
• Take shelter in a safe place
 Offer comfort
• Reassure your child

• Don’t make promises

• OK to be scared

• Fight or flight response - adrenaline

(Kate Roberts, Ph D., clinical psychologist)

 Give the facts
Natural disasters:

• Can cause serious damage

• make people have to leave their home

• Can be loud and scary

• Can happen very quickly

• Can happen any time

2. Create a family disaster plan
 Discuss with family
• Importance of preparation

• Disasters most “at risk” (ie., Utah has earthquakes but not
typically hurricanes)

• How to prepare for each danger

• How to respond, if it occurs

 Evacuation Flight
• Identify 2 outside meeting places in case family
members are separated:
• One right outside your home, maybe near mailbox.
• Another outside the neighborhood, in case you can’t return
home.
• Shelter in Place: Designate a room in the home with the fewest
windows and doors as a safe room where they should go. (Your
school or work may have a room designated as well.)

* Use FEMA’s Family Emergency Plan handout

 Communication
• List of emergency numbers for all household members:
Cell phone, school, work

• Emergency plan to care for pets

• How to turn off utilities

• Disaster plans not only for the home,

but also school and work
3. Prepare a disaster kit
 Supplies Needed for
Your Disaster Kit

• Written disaster plan • Matches

• Non-perishable foods • Cell phone & chargers
• Water • Keys
• Battery-powered radio • Medications
• Flashlights • Baby items, if needed
• Extra batteries • Kids - Snacks, coloring books, small
• Manual can opener hobbies, toys
• Hygiene items
4. Practice Disaster Drills
• Review what to do during a crisis
• Have children participate in:
• Warning others of danger
• How to escape the home
• Where to meet
• Where to take shelter
• How to contact emergency personnel
• What to do after the incident ends
• Practice drills frequently
5. Limit exposure to media
 Be Aware of what Children are Exposed to
● Multiple reports of the same event may cause children to think it’s
happening repeatedly

● If a child is worried, answer any questions and remind the child that if
something ever happens in your area, you have a plan in place
6. What parents can do to help
children cope after a disaster
● Keep the family together
● Explain the situation
● Encourage children to talk
● Listen to what they say
● Include children in recovery activities
● Go back to former routines
RESOURCES TO PARENTS AND CHILDREN
• FEMA - Federal Emergency Management Agency has a kid and
parent friendly site with information on each kind of disaster.
• Reading books
I’ll know what to do - A kid’s guide to Natural Disasters

I wonder why volcanoes blow their tops and other

questions about Natural Disasters.
 Citations
Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) (n.d.). The Human Cost of Natural Disasters 2015: A Global
Perspective
Retrieved on October 11, 2018 from https://reliefweb.int/report/world/human-cost-natural-disasters-2015-global-perspective

Munich Re. (n.d.). The 10 most significant natural disasters worldwide by death toll from 1980 to 2017. In Statista - The Statistics
Portal. Retrieved October 11, 2018, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/268029/natural-disasters-by-death-toll-since-1980/.

Paton, D., & Johnston, D. M. (2017). Disaster Resilience : An Integrated Approach (Vol. Second edition). Springfield, Illinois: Charles
C Thomas. Retrieved from
https://libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1532759&site=eds-live