Quick Guide to
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
7. Preparing Your Children for Emergencies
How to Prepare Your Child for an Emergency

If at all possible explain about disaster before it strikes. Remember, too much detail
can scare young children, so keep it simple. You can say something like:
 “The wind and the rain are there to help us, but sometimes we can get too
much wind and rain. We need to prepare and protect ourselves in case it
becomes unsafe.”
 “We enjoy the wind, rain and playing in the ocean, but sometimes we can get
too much wind and rain and the ocean’s waves can get too big. We need to
prepare and protect ourselves in case it becomes unsafe.”

Tell your child that you will do everything possible to protect him/her. Do not make
promises that you cannot keep or tell your child that you will not let anything happen
or that nothing will happen.

Avoid watching news for weather updates when your child is present. The news
often describes possible weather events in dramatic terms that can be scary for
children.

At an early age begin teaching your child:
 His/her first and last name
 Your first and last name
 His/her address and phone number
 The phone number of a family contact
 How to make a phone call
 Who to seek help from in a disaster (e.g., police officer, fire fighter,
ambulance driver)
How To Help Your Child During And After An Emergency

If you have to evacuate be sure to take along one or two items that are comforting to
your child (e.g., blanket, stuffed animal) and a small toy(s) that your child enjoys
playing with. Also bring paper and crayons/markers or pencils/pens.

If your child is too young or unable to communicate attach some form of
identification to his/her clothing, or write on his/her arm with indelible ink in case you
become separated.

Stay calm and take care of yourself. Children will look to their caregivers for comfort
and for clues as to how they should act. If you appear alarmed, distressed or
frightened your child may become scared and feel unsafe.
 Rest, take breaks and eat when you can.
 If you take care of yourself, you will have more emotional and physical energy
to take care of your child.
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Quick Guide to
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
7. Preparing Your Children for Emergencies

Avoid watching news or having adult conversations about the event when your child
is present. The news can actually be scarier for children than a scary movie. Also,
when seeing news-footage replayed again and again children may think the event is
happening again and again.

Acknowledge, validate and help your child express difficult feelings.
 Make sure that the words you use fit their feelings, not yours.
 Do not tell your child to be brave or to not feel a certain way. Assure your
child that you are there to take care of him/her. “You feel ______. I
understand. Thank you for telling me. Daddy/Mommy is here to help you.
You can tell me/us your feelings anytime.”
 Encourage your child to draw pictures. Ask your child about the drawing
(“what is this?”), but do not try to interpret what you think the drawing means.”
 If your child does not have words, acknowledge how your child is acting.
“You are crying. Are you sad? I understand. This is a sad time.
Daddy/Mommy is here to help you.”
 If your child is misbehaving or showing strong feelings verbalize what you
see. “You are yelling. Are you feeling ______? I understand. It is okay to
feel _____. Daddy and Mommy are here to help you. Let’s see if you can
draw some of your ____ feelings with these crayons (pencil, pen)”, or “let’s
see what we can do together”.
 If your child is fussing about wanting to go home, or missing things/people at
home you can say something like. “Are you missing ___ (home, your bed,
your toys, Barney)? I miss ____ too. I am so glad we are together. Let’s see
what we can find to do together.”

Be honest about what is going on within limits and keep it simple.
 Base the level of detail you share according to what is appropriate for your
child’s age.
 Explain what will happen next. “Tonight we will stay together at the shelter.”

Reassure your child that you have each other and that you are important to each
other.
 Keep your family together as much as possible.
 As much as possible, or as soon as possible, return to some of your familiar
routines such as mealtime, bedtime, and story time.
 Find ways to involve your child in what you are doing. Praise your child for
helping. If your child cannot help tell him/her you are happy to be with
him/her.
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