Disaster & Crisis
Number of unique resources found: 60
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After a Disaster: A Lesson Plan for Youth Educators in T3 Format 
Description: Although originally entitled "After Hurricane Katrina," many of the tips used in this lesson plan can be adapted to fit other disasters or crises.
Objectives:
Develop empathy for youth displaced as a result of a hurricane or natural disaster
Practice decision-making skills you would use after a disaster
Identify feelings and actions encountered by children after a disaster or other life change including parents who have divorced. Children may be moved to new schools and new situations after such crises.
May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Age Groups Respond Differently to Calamity
Description: Children's reactions to disaster depend on their age and maturity. Their responses also are affected by how close they are to the event, their level of exposure to it through TV and how they see their parents react.
Disaster Mental Health Resources
Description: CDC List of Natural Disaster Resources
Encouraging Family Communication After a Disaster
Description: Good family communication is necessary to effectively work together to prevent or respond to crises. This fact sheet offers ways of developing communication skills that help families not only to survive crises, but also to improve their daily lives. It provides helpful ways to think about communication, explains why family communication is sometimes difficult, and shows how family members of all ages can increase their well-being through family meetings by applying simple rules for good communication. May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Extension Disaster Education Network
Description: This page has links to a variety of resources and information related to natural disasters and crisis.
Family Financial Management - Interventions Following a Disaster
Description: The purpose of this fact sheet is to present some ways to deal with a financial crisis if it occurs. It will explain how to develop a financial plan, how to talk to creditors, and ways to make extra income. Financial hardship is difficult on families, so it is important to deal with financial stress. The best way to deal with financial stress is to take control and get help when needed. May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Family Financial Management - Planning for the Future
Description: Financial planning is important to maintaining a stable financial household. Good financial planning and achieving financial stability will also help to prevent financial crisis. Creating (and sticking to) a budget and spending plan will assist in attaining financial stability.
Helping Children Cope with Disasters
Description: Many children and young adults have sustained both physical and emotional injuries from tragedies such as hurricanes and other disasters. Some of them may have lost friends, teachers or family members or moved to a new city or home.
It’s important for adults to set as positive a tone as possible when helping children recover from tragedies.
May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Description: Hurricane Katrina resources. This site includes materials in Vietnamese and in Spanish.
Managing Conflict Following a Disaster
Description: The purpose of this fact sheet is to help families develop skills in conflict resolution, especially at times when they are experiencing stressful situations during a disaster. This unit will introduce a model for understanding conflict: origins of conflict, responses to conflict, and outcomes of conflict. Families will also learn four steps to successfully resolving conflict. May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Prevent Injury after a Natural Disaster
Description: CDC Guide to Prevent Injury after a Natural Disaster
Stress Management After a Disaster
Description: The purpose of this fact sheet is to introduce information on the symptoms of stress, and how individuals can effectively manage their stress. May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Supporting Children & Youth Following a Disaster
Author: Borden, Lynne (4 more by this author)
Description: The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide families with ways to support children during times of stress. It is during these stressful times that children are most in need of support, which parents and other caring adults such as teachers, relatives, and neighbors can provide. May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Understanding Depression Following a Disaster
Description: The purpose of this fact sheet is to help families who are experiencing stressful times during a disaster develop an understanding about depression: what it is, what causes it, what are the symptoms, and how is it treated? May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Understanding the Impact of Disasters on the Lives of Children and Youth
Author: Borden, Lynne (4 more by this author)
Description: The purpose of this fact sheet is to offer parents and others who work with children and youth an understanding of the impact of a natural disaster, such as a drought, on the lives of young people. May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
– Evaluation –
Description: Americans have been exposed to increased levels of mass violence during the past decade. School violence, shootings in the workplace, and terrorist acts both here and abroad all have affected individuals, families, communities and our country. This report addresses the urgent need to evaluate the various psychological interventions that are increasingly among the first responses to these traumatic events.
– General Information –
A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope
Description: A fact sheet with tips for adults on how to help children and adolescents deal with national tragedies.
After disaster: What teens can do
Description: A fact sheet for teens about disasters.
After the Storm: The Psychological Effects of a Hurricane
Author: La Greca, Annette (1 more by this author); Scott W. Sevin
Description: A manual for parents and educators to help children cope with the psychological impact of a major hurricane.
Coming in From the Shadows: Overrepresented Groups Among Homeless Youth
Description: This article examines overrepresented groups among homeless youth.
Coping With a Disaster or Traumatic Event
Description: Trauma and disaster mental health resources from the CDC.
Crisis Preparedness and Response
Description: Information and resources about crisis preparedness and response for schools and communities.
Description: (Spanish Version) This guide gives tips for parents to help their children cope with wildfires.
Helping Children After a Wildfire: Tips for Parents and Teachers
Description: A fact sheet for parents and teachers about helping children cope with wildfires
Description: (Spanish Version) A guide for parents about helping children understand media coverage while limiting their exposure to distressing images of wildfire.
Managing Strong Emotional Reactions to Tragic Events: Tips for Parents and Teachers
Description: "When a large-scale tragedy occurs, it can cause strong and deeply felt reactions in adults and children. How adults express their emotions will influence the reactions of children and youth. Parents and teachers can help youngsters manage their feelings by both modeling healthy coping strategies themselves and closely monitoring their own emotional state and that of the children in their care."
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Description: The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) is a unique collaboration of academic and community-based service centers whose mission is to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for traumatized children and their families across the United States. Combining knowledge of child development, expertise in the full range of child traumatic experiences, and attention to cultural perspectives, the NCTSN serves as a national resource for developing and disseminating evidence-based interventions, trauma-informed services, and public and professional education.
NCFY Recommends: Help from a Counselor Just a Text Away
Description: National Safe Place created TXT 4 HELP Interactive, which allows youth to text live with a mental health professional, based on research that says youth seeking help for difficult situations are more likely to look for information electronically than in person. Any youth can text the word "SAFE" and the address of their current location to 69866 and receive the address for the closest Safe Place site and a contact number for the local youth shelter. This automated response will now also prompt users to reply with "2CHAT" to be connected immediately to a mental health professional.
Parent Guidelines for Helping Children Impacted by Wildfires
Description: This guide gives tips for parents to help their children cope with wildfires.
Ready for Anything: A Disaster Planning Manual for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
Description: This guide will take you through the steps to reate a disaster preparedness plan for your organization.
Responding to Wildfires: Helping Children and Families
Description: Information about helping children and families deal with wildfires and other disasters
School Shootings: Parents Should Talk to Children of Every Age
Author: McCann, Ellie (2 more by this author); Kathleen Olson, Program Director--Partnering for School Success
Description: When a school shooting occurs, like the Sandy Hook Elementary School or Virginia Tech shootings, it may make your child feel vulnerable. They may need help coping with their feelings. Parents should "check in" with their children of every age to see how they're feeling about the school shooting. It is important to know what children are thinking or feeling and be prepared to support them.
September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance
Description: September 11 has been designated as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. To mark the 10-year anniversary of the attack, millions of Americans will participate in community service efforts to honor the sacrifice of those who were lost and pay tribute to those who rose in response, as well as those military families who continue to serve our country. These CYFERnet resources provide research-based information to help parents and others talk with children about the difficult issues and feelings raised by the 9/11 anniversary.
Violence in Our Schools: Helping Children Through Grief
Author: Tralle, Minnell (5 more by this author)
Description: Tips for parents when dealing with violence in schools.
Wildfires: Tips for Parents on Media Coverage
Description: A guide for parents about helping children understand media coverage while limiting their exposure to distressing images of wildfire.
Youth Homelessness in Today’s Tough Economy
Description: This article covers how nonprofit organizations can count the number of homeless youth in their communities and best practices in serving them.
– Other Resources –
Exploring the impact of deployment on military youth and families: Recent research findings
Author: Huebner, Angela (4 more by this author)
Description: Angela Huebner presents findings from several studies of both adolescents and parents about their experience of parental/spousal deployment since 9/11.
Focusing on Outcomes for Youth: Safety
Description: Based on years of work with runaway and homeless youth and the best emerging evidence about what they need to succeed, the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) believes the most crucial outcomes for runaway and homeless youth include: well-being, permanent connections, safety and self-sufficiency.
Hot Topic: Understanding and Coping with Mental Illness
Author: Evans, William
Description: With the recent shooting tragedies that have rocked our nation, a conversation about how to meet and support mental health needs has emerged. This is a societal issue that touches all ages and families. Parents and families that have children and members with mental health problems often must overcome a list of concerns before they secure help. But understanding a problem exists and securing support is critical. Stigma, access to support and resources, and costs are all obstacles for those with family members or friends suffering from mental illness. It is often painful for family members to realize someone close to them is sick. But admitting there is a problem and overcoming the discomfort of seeking help is the initial step. Resources do exist to help those suffering from mental illness and who may be a threat to themselves or others. With the goal of putting information at the fingertips of those trying to support those suffering from mental illness, the CYFERnet team recommends the following resources.
Description: This site has many resources for military families related to addressing the mental and emotional health needs of military children.
Resources for Responding to and coping with Hurricane related events
Description: Lists of links and resources regarding coping with hurricanes
– Professional Development –
Description: A brief overview of the different stages of grief and our ability to make decisions depending on which stage we are in. May be applicable for Gulf Oil Spill response or response to other catastrophic events such as flood, hurricane, earth quake, drought, wild fire, etc.
Managing Stress: Turning Challenges into Blessings
Description: All of us experience stress of one kind or another. It seems to be an inevitable part of life. Some stresses may be large and some may be small, but we all have stresses in our lives. Even happy events can be challenging. This resource teaches you ways to turn your stresses into growth, your challenges into blessings.
NCFY Recommends: How Well Are You Serving LGBTQ Youth?
Description: How welcoming to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are your facilities, handouts, reading materials and speech? A new checklist from the National Center for Cultural Competence, at Georgetown University, can help you measure how LGBTQ-friendly your organization or program's staff and services are.
Primary Sources: Youth Workers Weigh in on Improving LGBTQ Youths' Access to Services
Description: Researchers asked youth workers what might keep lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth from getting social services--and how those barriers can be overcome.
Description: A new checklist from the National Center for Cultural Competence, at Georgetown University, can help you measure how LGBTQ-friendly your organization or program's staff and services are.
– Programming Resource –
4-H Teen CERT: Turning Disasters into Success
Author: Black, Lynette (2 more by this author); Susan Emmons, University of Nevada; Wendy Hein, Oregon State University
Description: What do you do when you feel the earth move under your feet, smoke gets in your eyes, or you're wondering, who'll stop the rain? Could disaster recovery be different if youth were ready to act and direct the efforts, not just thinking, we didn't start the fire? What can youth do now that will make a difference when the walls come tumbling down? 4-H Teen CERT is a groundbreaking new program that empowers youth to prepare for, stay safe during, and respond after a major disaster.
Children, Stress, and Natural Disasters
Description: A set of resources for teachers and other child-care or youth workers that helps prepare them for working with children who have been through a disaster.
Description: Series of fact sheets about dealing with various disasters.
NCFY Recommends: Hotlines for Youth Who Need Help This Summer
Description: This article lists a variety of youth crisis hotlines.
Primary Sources: Does Running Away Increase Chances of Pregnancy?
Description: This is a summary of a published research article. The authors wanted to know whether girls who run away were more likely than other girls to become pregnant during their teen years.
National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth
Primary Sources: Ensuring Emotional Resilience in Homeless Youth
Description: This is a summary of a published research article. The authors surveyed 140 runaway youth, ages 12 to 17, who were at risk for depression. The goal was to learn more about the negative influences that might put homeless youth at risk for depression, and the positive influences that might protect them.
Primary Sources: How Can Homeless Youth Contribute to Programs That Serve Them?
Description: This is a summary of a published research article. Researchers held focus groups with a total of 47 youth in urban homeless shelters, asking whether staff members consider and use young people’s opinions. This article offers insight into how youth workers can engage youth in the design and implementation of services that benefit them.
Primary Sources: Why Do Some Homeless Youth Seek Services, While Others Don't?
Description: This is a summary of a published research article. The authors surveyed 249 homeless youth, ages 14 to 21, to find out what makes some seek help from service providers, like shelters, street outreach workers and food programs, while others don’t.
Recognizing Stress in Children
Author: DeBord, Karen (61 more by this author)
Description: Children are the most vulnerable population. Times of disaster and trauma increase their vulnerability. Recognizing children's symptoms of stress is not easy. This fact sheet presents tips on recognizing stress in children, particularly during crises or disasters.
Terrorism and Children: When War Is In the News
Author: Myers-Walls, Judith (6 more by this author)
Description: This updated site contains information for teachers and parents about how to talk to children about terrorism.
– Research –
Does Your Family Have An Emergency Plan?
Description: Brief steps that parents can take to prepare their families for emergencies, such as natural disasters, terrorist threats or outbreaks of violence.
Helping Children and Youth Who Have Experienced Traumatic Events
Description: “This short report discusses the prevalence of exposure to traumatic events among children and youth participating in two SAMHSA initiatives, the problems that trauma can cause, and available treatments that can help children and youth recover.”
Q&A: Heather Higgins of The Upside Down Organization on the Teen Brain and Trauma
Description: When a young person lives on the streets or in an abusive home, their brain develops differently than if they lived in a stable, safe environment. To learn more about the teen brain, trauma and healthy ways to stimulate young people’s frontal lobes, NCFY spoke with Heather Higgins, director of training and development at The Upside Down Organization, which demystifies brain science for people who work with children and youth.
What happens to victims? A research guide for disaster-response studies
Author: Hatry, Harry; Shelli B. Rossman; Martin D. Abravanel
Description: Evaluators and others studying what happens to victims of major disasters--such as earthquakes, floods, September 11-type incidents, or Hurricane Katrina- like catastrophes--must begin with a comprehensive understanding of victim services needs under such extraordinary circumstances. To assist in the
development of such research, this guide provides a series of starting, generic checklists of outcome indicators and related information considered pertinent to studying emergency services responses.