The recent wildfires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have all created a number of sudden and unprecedented challenges for communities across the US. These events are important reminders for how crucial preparedness is. Disasters and acts of violence can have devastating physical and psychological effects. Preparing for these events can help to reduce feelings of anxiety, and promote confidence and resilience in families, businesses, schools, and communities. As parents and caregivers, children and teens, mental health providers, educators, and first responders continue to learn how to adapt during this difficult time, the NCTSN has compiled a list of resources to help prepare for emergencies and promote recovery following an event.
Help Kids Cope
Talk to children of all ages about natural disasters using the Help Kids Cope app. From preparing for a hurricane to seeking help following an earthquake, the app offers parents, caregivers, and child-serving professionals resources for explaining, learning about, preparing for, responding to, and healing from natural disasters. Select from ten different natural disaster types, including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and wildfires. Available for iPhone and Android.
Family Preparedness Wallet Cards and Fact Sheet
In the event of an emergency, get in touch with separated family members using NCTSN’s Family Preparedness Wallet Cards. Prepare your family for natural disasters by adding important telephone numbers and contact details to the wallet cards. You can make a card for each member of your family to carry in case an event occurs when family members are not together.
Family Preparedness: Thinking Ahead
This fact sheet highlights what steps your family can take before an emergency. Learning about the disasters and hazards in your area, making a family emergency plan, identifying the best ways to communicate, collecting supplies for an emergency kit, learning where to get official updates during and after an event and practicing your plan are a few of the emergency preparedness tips found in this fact sheet. Both resources are available in multiple languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Armenian, and Russian.
Preparing Your Organization to Respond to Disasters and Terrorism
Effectively responding to the needs of children and families in times of disaster, terrorism, or public health emergencies requires organizations to stay up to date on changing sources available after a disaster or terrorism event, and strategies for staging response activities to address intermediate and long-term recovery. This webinar series is designed to help child-and family-serving providers best position themselves to support their community following catastrophic events.
Creating School Active Shooter/Intruder Drills
Provides information to schools about how to create a trauma-informed active shooter/intruder drill. This fact sheet outlines the steps to take before, during, and after for students, school staff, and parents.
Building Community Resilience for Children and Families
Provides information about building community resilience, helping communities improve their capacity to respond effectively to natural or man-made disasters or acts of terrorism. This guidebook includes strategies to put in place before an incident occurs to enhance a community's ability to improve its outcomes after an event.
Trauma-Informed School Strategies during COVID-19
Provides trauma-informed school strategies in response to COVID-19 including an emergency management/crisis response plan for dealing with future crises. This fact sheet offers information on the physical and emotional well-being of staff, creating a trauma-informed learning environment, identifying and assessing traumatic stress, addressing and treating traumatic stress, trauma education and awareness, partnerships with students and families, cultural responsiveness, emergency management and crisis response, and school discipline policies and practices.
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This project was developed by the developed by the NCTSN Core Curriculum Task Force, and funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
