Natural Disasters and their effects on children

What is a natural disaster?

A natural disaster is defined as an event such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane that causes great damage and/or loss of life. Other forms of natural disasters include droughts, tropical cyclones, lightning, tsunamis, volcanic activity and wildfires. 

How do natural disasters affect children?

Children are the worst affected group during natural disasters due to their small size and other vulnerabilities. 

Children who are affected by natural disasters experience issues in 3 main areas:

  1. Physical health

  2. Mental health

  3. Learning challenges and disrupted education

  1. Physical Health Struggles Experienced by Children After a Natural Disaster

Children may suffer immediate physical harm in a natural disaster such as bodily injuries (broken bones, head trauma, cuts and scrapes, etc.). They may also experience an increase in acute illnesses due to exposure to large amounts of dust particles or radiation. These acute illnesses include respiratory illnesses like asthma, fever, diarrhoea, lethargy, nausea and headaches.  

2. Mental Health Struggles Experienced by Children After a Natural Disaster

After going through a natural disaster, children may report mental health symptoms directly caused by the disaster days, months and even years after the disaster occurred.

Children’s mental health may be severely affected due to witnessing extreme destruction of their home and community and witnessing the death of a loved one. You can learn more about how grief affects children and download our children’s book about grief.

  1. Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder include hypervigilance, nightmares or incessantly thinking about the disaster, difficulty sleeping and difficulty concentrating. 

  2. Depression symptoms include lethargy, loss of interest in hobbies or playing with friends, and feeling sad and listless.

  3. Anxiety symptoms felt by children include worry about their own or loved ones’ safety, fear of the disaster occurring again, and other fears relating to being displaced, the future, or security concerns. 

  4. Grief symptoms may include deep sadness, questions about death and dying, worry about death, guilt, self-blame, self-harm, and inability to move forward.

3. Learning Challenges and Disrupted Education

Disruptions to education are one of the most significant challenges faced by children and young people in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

This is mainly due to a loss of infrastructure, meaning children may not even have a school building to attend in some cases. The destruction of their home may also add stress as children will be coping with being displaced and adjusting to a new, stressful environment. 

  1. Trauma can affect brain function in children. This could, in turn, affect the way children learn and process information and create memory. 

  2. Children may report difficulty concentrating on schoolwork after a natural disaster.

  3. Coping with simultaneous mental health issues like depression, anxiety and grief can have serious effects on children’s ability to retain information and upskill.

How Do Natural Disasters Affect Children’s Behaviour?

Natural disasters can disrupt a child’s sense of safety and security. When their basic needs—food, water, shelter, warmth, and security—are unmet, it can impact their emotional and physical health. Children, especially younger ones, depend on caregivers to provide for these needs, and after a disaster, caregivers may struggle due to a lack of resources. This, combined with the trauma of the event, can have a long-lasting effect on the child’s well-being. 

Some signs of distress include:

  • Fear of trivial things: A child might be frightened of things that normally wouldn’t cause fear, like power outages.

  • Panic over small issues: Seemingly minor problems can trigger disproportionate anxiety.

  • Compulsive behaviours: Children might engage in behaviours like excessive cleaning or checking.

  • Sleep disturbances: Insomnia or trouble falling asleep can be common.

  • Clinging to comfort items: Children may rely on objects like a blanket or a toy for reassurance.

  • Regression: There may be a return to earlier stages of behaviour, like bed-wetting or language regression.

  • Anger or irritability: Outbursts can occur as a response to overwhelming feelings.

  • Avoidance of safe spaces: Reluctance to leave their safe area is a natural response to trauma.

These reactions are part of a child’s way of processing intense stress. Offering a consistent and caring presence is vital as they begin to heal.

How can we support children who have experienced trauma after a natural disaster?

Supporting a child after a natural disaster involves providing safety, stability, and comfort. 

Here are key ways to help:

  • Be present and listen: Acknowledge and validate their feelings. Let them know it's okay to be scared or upset.

  • Explain next steps: Help them understand what may be coming next in an age-appropriate way, to reduce anxiety.

  • Reassure their safety:
    Remind them that they are safe and explain any safety measures in place (such as, ‘if the ground is shaking again, we need to grab our favourite toy (kept in an easily accessible location) and come to mummy/daddy, so mummy/daddy can keep you and your toy safe’.

  • Validate their fears:
    Reassure them that their feelings are normal for what they’ve experienced.

  • Create consistency:
    Keep familiar routines where possible to provide a sense of normalcy.

  • Provide comfort:
    Offer physical and emotional comfort, showing love and reassurance.

  • Familiarize them with their environment:
    Connect them with familiar people or objects to help them feel secure.

  • Incorporate fun:
    Engage in enjoyable, familiar activities that can be done anywhere – such as cloud watching -  to lift their spirits.

  • Take time for yourself: Parenting through trauma can be overwhelming. Take brief moments for yourself; whether it’s stepping away for a break, cooking out of sight, sending the rest of the family out on a shopping trip or taking a short walk on call with a friend to regroup. Self-care helps you stay grounded and better able to support your child.

How our books about Natural Disasters help children

We have created 2 Earthquake Trauma Support Books available in Arabic and Turkish, designed specially to support children and families affected by natural disasters. 

  • Earthquake Trauma Support Book 1: “Sara & Her Family Overcome Challenges After The Earthquake” focuses on the theme of forced displacement in the aftermath of a natural disaster, where people are displaced from their homes to temporary shelter or camps due to destruction of infrastructure. 

  • Earthquake Trauma Support Book 2: “The Yilmaz Family Learn How To Cope With Grief” focuses on helping children cope with grief and the loss of a loved one in a natural disaster.

In the wake of a natural disaster, it can be difficult for both adults and children to cope with the destruction, loss of life, and in many cases, loss of their homes. Parents and guardians will be struggling themselves during this time, and children will require extra care and attention due to their increased vulnerabilities. 

Our Earthquake Trauma Support Books offer:

  • Easy-to-follow narrative stories. 

  • Representation of children of different ages.

  • Focus on children’s emotions and experiences in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

  • Short-term guidance and coping/grounding exercises.

  • Long-term guidance and support recommendations for parents and guardians.

  • Focus on helping children identify complicated emotions.

  • Helping parents learn to identify changes in children’s behaviour after a natural disaster.

  • Conversation prompts for parents to help support difficult conversations with children.

  • Culturally sensitive guidance. 

  • Inclusive of mental and physical traumas of being affected by a natural disaster.

Children’s books about natural disasters:

Sara and her Family Overcome Challenges After the Earthquake (Arabic)

Sara faces the loss of her home and school, and feelings of anxiety and fear after an earthquake in her city. Sara learns to overcome these challenges with her parents and friends.

Sara and her Family Overcome Challenges After the Earthquake (Turkish)

Sara faces the loss of her home and school, and feelings of anxiety and fear after an earthquake in her city. Sara learns to overcome these challenges with her parents and friends.

The Yilmaz Family Learn How To Cope With Grief (Arabic)

Three children of different ages learn to cope with the loss of loved ones after a natural disaster. Join the Yilmaz children as they learn to cope with grief with the help of age-appropriate exercises.

The Yilmaz Family Learn How To Cope With Grief (Turkish)

Three children of different ages learn to cope with the loss of loved ones after a natural disaster. Join the Yilmaz children as they learn to cope with grief with the help of age-appropriate exercises.

Our blogs about natural disasters :

  • We have made our Trauma Support Booklets available for FREE download in Arabic & Turkish languages. Please share with your networks!

    Read more

Sources