# How Children Deal with Natural Disasters Natural disasters can lead to two kinds of trauma in children. Direct trauma, which is caused by experiencing the event itself, and trauma due to the disruption of day-to-day routines. Direct trauma is caused when children are faced with the experience of losing their home and/or personal possessions, are physically injured or when they witness the death, injury or pain of others. Disruption of day-to-day routines is indirect but can nevertheless have significant negative impacts as it leads to an increased strain on the relationship between family members and between friends, and to changes in expectations and responsibilities family members have for each other. Parents are not as physically or emotionally available as before (as they're busy), children are expected to take on more adult roles before they're ready (looking after siblings for instance), they cannot spend time with their friends or participate in other routine activities, etc. The effects of this disruption can pile-up, potentially causing an even bigger negative impact than the event itself. Any disaster will undoubtedly have adverse effects on grown ups as well, causing additional stress in children. Family members may increase their drug or alcohol consumption, additional stress may lead to increased conflict between family members or between family members and others, etc. ## Symptoms It's important to keep in mind that any symptoms may not have been directly caused by the disaster. It's possible they are attributable to a disaster-related routine disruption, or to preexisting problems exacerbated by the disaster or disaster-related routine disruptions. Some symptoms may persist for a long time, especially if children are dealing with long-term family disruptions or strains Symptoms of trauma are generally unusual changes in behavior or appearance. Some examples include: - Acting like a younger child (more likely among children younger than 7) - Sucking a thumb - Loss of toilet training skills - Separation difficulties (crying, fussing, whining, increased neediness) - Disaster-related fears like fear of rain, thunder, wind - Difficulty sleeping and nightmares - Looking sad or depressed, or having a lack of emotional expression or being unusually quiet or withdrawn - Apathy for things usually enjoyed - Headaches, stomachaches, or other symptoms of illness - Attention seeking (acting out, aggression, disobedience, talking back, destructiveness, stealing, outbursts of anger) - Sudden mood swings - Attention deficit - Increased absences or tardiness - Declining school performance - Changes in relationships with peers ## What Should Be Done - Provide atmosphere of safety, security and support - Children need a place where they can depend on people acting in predictable ways (in predictable routines) and where they can rely on consistent rules and expectations - Acknowledge what's happening in their lives and be prepared to listen to their problems - Let them talk about their experiences and express fears and concerns - Let them now that it is OK to feel angry, sad or frightened. Talking about those feelings will make them feel better. - Letting them hear how others feel will help them realize that their feelings are not bad or unusual - Give children extra reassurance, support and encouragement - Conduct study projects focused on learning about the causes and consequences of natural disasters, and work on disaster preparedness. This will give children a sense of competence and confidence in being able to handle future disasters (see resources below). - Try to identify children who may need more help - Extreme symptoms that point to a very unusual change in behavior or appearance and persist for more than 2 weeks - Several different kinds of symptoms - Symptoms are seen in different settings (in-class/at home) - Signs of abuse or neglect ## Resources - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [Kid's Hazards Quiz](https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/kidsquiz/). ## Sources - University of Illinois. [Children, Stress, and Natural Disasters](https://web.extension.illinois.edu/disaster/teacher2/experience.cfm).