Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
And when the blast of wind blows in our ears...

(Not-Quite-Shakespeare)

There was a cyclone [1]and then there was another and now we’re getting ready to welcome back our students. Natural disasters can be traumatic, for children and adults, so how do we help them and how do we help each other ?
The devastation to the familiar environment (home, school...) is likely to be long-lasting and distressing, and our entire community is impacted, further undermining the children’s sense of security and normalcy. Cyclones present a variety of unique challenges, including the need to relocate when home or community have been destroyed.
Most children will be able to cope over time with the help of parents and other caring adults. However, some children may be at risk of more extreme reactions. The severity of their reactions will depend on their specific risk factors—which include personal injury or loss of a loved one, relocation from their home or community, level of parental support, level of physical destruction...

Symptoms will differ but can include :

• • emotional disturbances (numbness, aggressiveness, clinginess, depression...), school avoidance or withdrawal from activities and friends ;
  • avoiding reminders of the cyclones ;
  • hyper-vigilance, agitation, poor concentration, startle reactions ;
  • reminiscence by day or night (re-experiencing the cyclone during play or dreams, anticipating or feeling that a wildfire is happening again)
  • eating disorders, physical complaints.

Some children may be at risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and students who exhibit these symptoms over an extended period of time should be referred for appropriate mental health evaluation and intervention.

What can you do ?

• • Remain calm and reassuring. Acknowledge the loss or destruction, but emphasize the community’s efforts to clean up and rebuild.
  • Acknowledge and normalize their feelings. Listen and empathize. Let them know that their reactions are normal and expected.
  • Encourage students to talk about the events. Provide activities that enable children to discuss their experiences. This may include a range of methods (both verbal and nonverbal).
  • Emphasize students’ resiliency. Bring their attention to other communities that have experienced natural disasters and recovered.
  • Strengthen children’s friendship and peer support. Activities such as asking students to work cooperatively in small groups can help them strengthen supportive relationships with their peers.
  • Take care of your own needs. You’ve heard this before : "secure your own oxygen mask first" so you can better help others... [2]

 [3]

Resources from the Ministry (in French, bien sûr) :

1. Comprendre le psychotraumatisme
2. Recommandations pour la prise en charge
3. Signaux d’alerte et points de vigilance
4. Accueillir avec bienveillance l’élève et sa parole
5. Repérer les situations les plus urgentes et savoir alerter
6. Des activités en faveur de la santé mentale en lien avec les disciplines

Additional resources :
Ten Question Tuesday : weekly check-in for caregivers