A disaster is a stressful event for a person of any age, but for children, it’s much more anxiety-provoking because they don’t understand what has happened and they don’t know what’s going to happen, which is frightening to them, says Maneesh Kumar, D.O., a pediatrician at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, in Houston.
Whether it’s a hurricane, fire, flood, tornado, earthquake, storm or man-made disaster in the U.S., SMART Choices Texas is onsite to provide counseling, food, water, clothing, shoes, baby products, hygiene products, clean-up kits and more. Why? Children are often affected differently by disasters. The combination of a natural or man-made disaster and homelessness can be a deadly situation.
It’s common for kids to show signs of anxiety or even depression after a disaster. Children who are anxious may act out, they may have temper tantrums, or there may be changes in their sleeping patterns, appetites, behavior, or moods. For example, after a hurricane, she may get frightened anytime it rains.
Disasters strike in every corner of the world, during every season and are often unexpected by their very nature, leaving little time, if any, to prepare. That is why it is so important for all of us to put time into planning and preparation long before the disaster strikes. Being prepared can reduce fear, anxiety, and losses. Preparedness reduces the severity of a disaster’s effect and helps us return to normalcy sooner.
The City and State emergency organizations will try to help us, but we need to be ready as well. They may not be able to reach us immediately, or they may need to focus their efforts elsewhere. We must be proactive, not reactive, and take personal responsibility for ourselves and for our families.
Disaster Relief Resources
Renters Rights
Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid has created this guide to help people understand their rights after the property they were renting was damaged by a disaster.
The agency also created this guide to lockout threats made by landlords. Here it is in English and in Spanish.
FEMA May Help
Depending on the size and scope of a disaster, the president of the United States may make a disaster declaration approving the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist and provide support for homeowners and renters who need help to recover.
This guide: Figuring Out FEMA helps the public understand the various steps and requirements needed to take advantage of FEMA assistance.
Replace Lost Documents
A How-To Guide created by the Texas Young Lawyers Association Click Here
Dallas County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
Looking to donate resources? Contact Us
American Red Cross North Texas Region
The quickest way to provide immediate assistance is by making a financial gift.
- Call 1-800-RED CROSS
- Online at redcross.org
Airbnb’s Disaster Response Program
Hosts can respond to crises in their community by offering housing to displaced neighbors and relief workers deployed to help. https://www.airbnb.com/disaster-response
More Info:
Children can suffer emotional wounds in a disaster – Science News. 12/2014
The Impact of Terrorism and Disasters on Children – American Psychological Association
Understanding the Impact of Disasters on the Lives of Children and Youth – University of Phoenix
The effects of a natural disaster on child behavior: evidence for posttraumatic stress. – NCBI/M S Durkin, N Khan, L L Davidson, S S Zaman, and Z A Stein
How to Get Your Family Prepared for a Disaster
Being prepared for an emergency is as simple as planning ahead. This begins with thinking about your daily activities, the people you care for or who rely on you, and how a disaster would change the way you get things done. Use the information in this section to learn how to plan for your own safety and needs, along with those of your family and pets. If someone in your family relies on special equipment or medications make sure your planning includes how to make sure those special needs will be dealt with.
- Create a Family Disaster Plan
- Prepare a Disaster/Survival Kit
- Do Disaster Drills
- Monitor Media Coverage
- Talk About It, Talk About It, Talk About It
Build An Emergency Kit or Bug-out Bag
Include:
Water
- 1 gallon per person per day
- 1/2 for drinking, 1/2 for cooking/sanitation
Food
- Store food that’s high in calories and has a long shelf-life
- Consider meal replacement bars, canned foods and dry food items that don’t need to be cooked to eat
- Make sure to include food you like to eat
Light Source
- Avoid candles to minimize fire risk
- Include safe light options like a battery-powered flashlight with extra batteries or a hand-crank flashlight
- Light sticks are a long-lasting source of light that are inexpensive and fits easily into any size bag
Warm & Dry Clothes
- Include at least one change of clothing
- If you get wet, it’s important that you get dry as soon as possible because moisture pulls heat away from your body (wool or synthetic clothing that wicks moisture away from your body is recommended)
- To stay warm and dry you can also pack extra blankets, a tarp or rain gear
First Aid Kit
- Include items for basic care like adhesive bandages, antiseptic wipes, gauze pads, scissors, tweezers and pain-relief medication
- Make sure to include medications and equipment specific to your needs
After the five basics, what you stock in your kit is up to you. The information below will give you a number of things you can add to your kit and some fun and easy ways to put them together, not only for your home, but your car, workplace and school. The most important thing is to start. Don’t be one of the people who after the disaster says, “I wish I had put a kit together.”
Stay Safe
When the earth shakes, DROP to the ground, take COVER under a desk or table and HOLD on to the desk or table so it doesn’t bounce away.
Stay there until the shaking stops.
Studies show that most earthquake injuries in the United States are caused by falling objects or people losing their footing during the shaking. Safety during an earthquake comes from taking quick action and finding a “quake-safe” place within 3 to 4 seconds. If you are in a place without a table your goal is to make sure that your head is not the tallest thing in the room. Start by getting low. If there is no table around you to get BENEATH, then think BESIDE (an inside wall or heavy furniture), or BETWEEN (rows of chairs) and take a quake-safe action quickly!
Myth Buster! Despite what some of us learned as children, doorways are NOT considered a safe place to be in an earthquake. WHY? It’s hard to stay in the doorway during the shaking and typically there is a door in the doorway, which swings open and closed during the shaking, hitting whoever might taking refuge there. Best to get low, cover your head and hang on!
Store Drinking Water
Water is essential for life. After a disaster, safe drinking water can be in short supply and those without it may find themselves waiting in long lines to get it. We recommend that every household store enough water for at least 7 to 10 days. Each person in your house requires 1 gallon per day. Half of that is for drinking, the other half is for cooking and sanitation. Before you do the math, remember you have a lot of water already stored in your house, which will be available if you have strapped down your water heater and turn off the water service to the house if there are broken water pipes.
Even with that source, you should still store water. Storing water can be as easy as buying an extra case or two the next time you are at the store. You can also use old pop bottles, which are great for storing water. If you decide on this you should follow the steps outlined below to ensure that the water remains drinkable.
- Make sure the bottle is clean. Put about 1/8 of a teaspoon of bleach and 2 cups of water in the bottle. Put the lid on and shake the bottle gently. Be sure to wash around the lid and the top of the bottle.
- Empty and fill with fresh water all the way to the top of the bottle (leaving as little air space as possible). Screw the top on tight and label the bottle as ’emergency drinking water. Make sure to put the date you filled the bottle on the label.
- Empty and refill the bottles every 6 months (we recommend doing it when you change your clocks and check your fire alarms). Don’t just pour the water down the drain, use it to water your plants, rinse your dishes or even drink it.
- We don’t recommend using glass bottles as they break easily during earthquakes. Plastic milk jugs are hard to seal and degrade quicker than plastic soda bottles. Stay away from bottles that have had bleach or other toxic chemicals in them.
Preparing For Seniors
The first step in planning is to consider your day to day routine and how a disaster would impact your ability to continue those routines. The next step is to create a network of neighbors, relatives, and friends to assist you in an emergency. Discuss your needs with them and make sure that they know how to operate any equipment that you may rely on.
Put together an emergency kit. Your kit should include:
- The basics: food, water, warm clothes, light source and radio
- Specialized items such as; batteries for wheelchairs, oxygen, catheters, etc.
- A 7-10 day supply of any medications you take and a plan if any of your medicines require refrigeration.
- An extra pair of glasses, hearing aids and hearing aid batteries
- A copy of your medical insurance and Medicare/Medicaid cards
- A list of the type and model numbers of medical devices you require.
If you undergo routine medical treatments talk with your service provider about their emergency plans. Work with them to identify back-up services both in the area you live and in any potential evacuation locations.
Lastly, don’t forget about your pets or service animals. Having a plan for them is as important as having one for yourself.
Get Started On Your Bag Today – Don’t Wait!”
