Survival Information
Valuable information for you and your family regarding
survival during an earthquake and in the critical 72 hour period after a
disaster. |
QSQuakeSafe.com 
|
| Helping Children Cope After
an Earthquake It is important for the family to remain together. Being together provides immediate reassurance to a child. Fears of being abandoned and unprotected are immediately calmed. Immediately after a disaster parents should not leave the child in a safe place while they go to inspect damage. Nor should they leave the child alone in the evacuation center while they go back to check their home, to go shopping. Always take the child along. Without an opportunity to experience the fear of being left alone a child is less likely to develop clinging behavior. The child needs reassurance by a parent's words as well as their actions. For example, "We are all together and nothing has happened to us. Don't worry, we will take care of you." Realistically, parents also experience fear. However, they have the maturity to cope with the stress. A demonstration of strength should be clear to the child who will feel more secure and reassured. It will not harm the child to let him know you are also afraid. In fact, it is good to put these feelings into words. Sharing will encourage a child to talk about their own feelings. Communication helps reduce a child's anxiety as well as the adults. Through communication a child may express fears that are not real and the parents will have an opportunity to explore these fears and reassure the child. Listen to what children tell you about their fears. Listen when a child talks about how they feel and what they think of what has happened. Talk to the child, as best as you can, about the disaster (the fear-inducing event), and about the known facts and, again, listen. A child may express fears in play or in actions. If they are unrealistic, explain and reassure the child. You may have to repeat yourself many times. Don't stop explaining just because you have told them this once before. Encourage the child to talk. A silent child needs to be encouraged to vocalize their experience. Difficulty in expressing may be very frustrating to the parents so it can be helpful to include other members of the family, neighbors, and their children in a talk about reactions to the disaster. Through the sharing of common experiences, fears are further reduced. It is essential that an attempt should be made to provide an atmosphere of acceptance where a child will feel free to talk about his fears (be it at home or at school). Adults are often reluctant to encourage a child to talk about fears and anxieties. They mistakenly believe it will only increase the fears and anxieties. Parents may also feel helpless in reassuring a child, and be afraid of harming a child by continued discussions. Statements like, "I know you are afraid," or, "It is a scary feeling," are helpful and should be used. Being told it is normal and natural to be afraid is also reassuring. There will be important concerns and things to do after a disaster like checking damage, cleaning up broken glass or fallen furniture. A child can and should be included in these activities. It is actually reassuring for a child to be involved with the parent in these jobs. It is reassuring to see progress being made in bringing the house back to order and the routine of the household resumed, i.e. meals prepared, dishes washed, beds made, playmates coming over. For the parents of a very young child, the task is more difficult. Such a child may need more physical care, more holding, it makes it harder for parents to attend to the other things that should be done. Unfortunately, there is no short-cut. If the child's needs are not met, the problem will persist for a longer period. EMERGENCY TASK LIST Click Here |
EMERGENCY TASK LIST Click Here |
||
|
|||
|
|
|