The Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t start officially until June 1, but meteorologists are warning that this season could reach a “record-setting pace,” with AccuWeather forecasters predicting as many as 25 named storms.
With the potential for an “explosive” hurricane season ahead, parents, community leaders and emergency management officials must revisit emergency preparedness plans now to guarantee that they consider and include one of our most vulnerable populations — children.
According to Save the Children, less than half of American families have a disaster emergency plan, even though two-thirds of parents cite being “at least somewhat concerned” about the risk their child faces at the prospect of a natural disaster.
Even when hurricanes don’t harm children physically, the impact can affect children mentally for years beyond the actual event. After Hurricane Ian made landfall in 2022, schools were forced to shutter indefinitely in parts of Florida, worsening the hurricane’s disruption of students’ lives. Studies have shown that students can fall behind for as many as two years following hurricanes, affecting critical math and reading skills.
This is why I founded Stronger than the Storm, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide kid-friendly resources that develop resilience and help children recover and reconnect during tough times, considering their physical health, mental health and learning development in the planning, response and recovery stages of a storm.
It’s an issue I have seen firsthand in my work as CEO of AshBritt, a national rapid-response emergency management and disaster response company. Whether following hurricanes, wildfires or historic flooding, I have witnessed children grapple with their communities being torn apart. Disasters are disorienting for adults; they can be particularly traumatic for children who might not have the necessary skills to cope.
Stronger than the Storm just released our new book, “Henry and the Hurricane,” which tells the story of Henry’s family preparing for a hurricane, involving Henry and his sister in the readiness work to build his awareness of and resilience toward the impending storm.
Through Henry, kids learn about the days leading up to a hurricane, when people are heading to the store, buying supplies, securing their homes and possibly evacuating. While the book focuses on events as a hurricane is developing, families and first responders must formulate plans now in advance of the season.
There’s some important steps parents and caregivers can take today to prepare children for disaster events. Talk to kids about the weather. Discuss the types of natural disasters common in your region. Encourage questions and listen to kids’ ideas, concerns and fears. Allow children to have age-appropriate duties in the preparedness process. Engaging children in planning helps them feel a sense of knowledge and control, decreasing fear of the unknown. Know where your community shelters are located. Many shelters are pet friendly! Talk to kids about pet preparedness — it can be a great, playful way to engage this topic with kids.
As the well-known proverb goes, it takes a village. Beyond parenting, this rings true in emergency management. The most resilient communities take a “whole of community” approach to disaster readiness. Emergency managers can also take important actions to ensure they are considering children. Connect with child-welfare experts in your community. Bring them into the planning process. Review your shelter plans. Do you have child-friendly resources and spaces? Ensure your plans include kids of all physical and developmental abilities. Train team members in physiological first-aid.
There are many free resources readily available to support individual, community and organization preparedness. At strongerthanthestorm.com, we link to many of these resources and organizations. In addition, you can find our activity book, “Kids Can Be Hero Helpers!,” our free, downloadable Family Emergency Preparedness Campaign, coloring pages and our emergency kit supply lists for kids.
Children are resilient, but we owe it to them to integrate their needs into our emergency preparedness. Let’s give kids everything we’ve got and support their physical and mental wellness before, during and after disaster events.
Remember, the time to prepare is now.
Brittany Perkins Castillo, of Delray Beach, is a mother of two and CEO of AshBritt, the largest women-led debris management and emergency management and logistics company in the United States.