Disaster Planning and Trauma Response
Topic Editor: Sharon Lunn
sharon.lunn@unc.eduThese resources can assist individuals working with children and families to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters or other emergency situations like shootings and violence.
See also: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH), Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
On This Page
Resources from Federal Agencies and National Organizations
Caring for Children in a Disaster
This collection of resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers simple steps to protect children in emergency situations and help meet their needs during and after a disaster.
Emergency Preparedness Manual for Early Childhood Programs (2015)
This manual from the Office of Head Start can assist service personnel with preparing for emergencies, crises and tragic event. More information is available on the Head Start Emergency Preparedness Resources webpage.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Established to improve access to care, treatment, and services for traumatized children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events. This resource includes descriptions of each type of trauma and evidence-based treatments that work.
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope With Traumatic Events
This fact sheet from the National Institute of Mental Health outlines how children experience trauma, and what community members and caregivers can do to intervene.
Embedding Equity Into Disaster Preparedness Efforts in Child Welfare
Children's Bureau provides a factsheet on addressing the disparate outcomes families from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds face following disasters and the equitable practices that child welfare agencies can embed into their disaster preparedness and response initiatives.
Ready Kids
Ready, National public service campaign educates and empowers people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters. The Ready Kids site provides resources for families, educators, and organizations supporting children in their learning about disasters.
See also: What Parents Can Do
Additional Resources for Helping Families and Children—Including Those with Disabilities—Cope with Disasters and Trauma
Children and Disasters
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides this resource page on disaster preparedness and other health and safety topics for families and children.
Trauma and Stress
This resource from ZERO TO THREE supports caregivers in helping infants and toddlers cope with and recover from traumatic and stressful experiences.
Emergencies and National Disasters: Helping Children and Families Cope
The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) provides resources to support families in helping young children cope with the challenges that might occur during stressful emergency or disaster situations. Resources under Children: Stress and Challenging Behavior may be helpful to those supporting very young children in light of recent acts of community violence.