How to Help Children Recover from Floods
5 August 2024
As the next wet season approaches, families can take early steps to prepare young children to understand heavy rain and flood events, cope with ‘big feelings’ and recover. Join us for the Flood Resilient Kids on Saturday 28 September for a Birdie’s Tree reading & play!
Image: Learn more about the Birdie’s Tree books at Children’s Health Queensland.
In February 2014 in North Surrey, UK, severe flooding caused 11-year-old Sally’s family to evacuate their home. They were relocated to a hotel, which at first made Sally feel excited as she associated hotels with holidays, so she packed “some special dresses” but forgot to include her school uniform.
Her father was a wheelchair user and the hotel didn’t cater adequately for his needs. He couldn’t access the ensuite bathroom and became injured trying to wash himself.
These difficulties added to what was already a stressful and isolating experience.
This is one of the stories included in a study undertaken by Lancaster University and published in Health and Place Journal. It focused on the experiences of four children aged 11 to 15 who were evacuated during the severe floods that affected the UK between December 2013 and February 2014, and who were displaced for between 12 and 21 months.
The study gave the children a chance to have their say and it revealed that children have unique needs and perspectives when a disaster occurs.
Moving to a different area, even if the child is still attending the same school can make it harder to keep in contact with their friends.
For 12-year-old Callum, having to catch the bus to school when he used to live close enough to walk added to his stress in terms of the physical experience and the added financial cost as he wasn’t issued with a bus pass.
There were six key findings from the study:
Children need to be informed about flooding, including risks, warnings and planning.
Children are impacted by loss of possessions and their social connections, which are harder to maintain during displacement.
A lengthy recovery period can have unseen impacts such as inadequate internet access making if harder to complete school work.
Children can feel isolated if they are not connected to others who have had the same experience.
Children need to be included in all aspects of preparation and recovery and can play an active part.
Flood-affected children understand the need to promote a “new normal” in terms of planning and preparation.
During and immediately after the event, reassurance and comfort are the most important thing to focus on. Very young children may not understand what is happening and may become “frozen” both physically and emotionally. Their anxiety may manifest as loss of bowel and bladder control or crying or screaming uncontrollably. In the immediate aftermath of the experience parents and carers may need to implement Psychological First Aid. This might seem easier said than done when carers themselves are feeling panicked and overwhelmed, but learning and remembering the following three actions can give some sense of control until the situation calms down:
Listen and look
Listen to children’s questions or concerns, but also be on the lookout for what their behaviours are showing.Protect
Provide as safe an environment as you can, both physically and emotionally.Connect
Support your children to feel connected to familiar people, places or objects as much as you can.
For very young children, Children’s Health Queensland developed the Birdie’s Tree series of books. Birdie lives in a cosy nest in a tree next to a pond where her friend Mr. Frog lives.
In “Birdie and the Flood”, both Birdie and Mr. Frog are forced to leave their homes, which they find damaged when they return. The feelings of fear and sadness expressed by Birdie reflect the feelings of children going through a similar experience, providing validation and comfort.
Reading the books to children enables parents to connect with their child and allows the child to express how they feel.
One of the programs that has facilitated children’s need for agency is the Pillowcase Project conducted by the Red Cross.
The original concept was inspired by Hurricane Katrina in the US, when children used pillowcases to carry away their most valued possessions. The children decorate their pillowcase and it becomes their personal emergency kit, making them think about what they would most like to take with them if forced to evacuate, allowing them to be part of planning, and thereby reducing fear and stress.
The most important thing to remember is that children should not be seen as passive bystanders during a flood event.
They need to be included, informed and their unique needs acknowledged.
That said, parents mustn’t neglect their own mental health; they need to give themselves permission to seek support so they support for their child.
Rose Lane is a freelance writer who has lived in Brisbane since 1985 and in 4101 since 2019. She has been a regular contributor to The Westender and was a Community Correspondent with ABC Radio Brisbane from 2014-2016. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Big Issue, New Matilda and other publications.
Resources
In focus: Supporting your child after a flood Emerging Minds
How does flooding affect children? The Flood Hub
Birdie’s Tree Children’s Health Queensland
Pillow Case Workshops Red Cross Queensland