Our planet has a history of being affected by floods and other disasters. While the flood of water will recede and the disaster will eventually mend, the flood of emotions can continue to have a negative impact. It is imperative that we choose healthy coping skills to deal with the emotional impact from a disaster, especially around children. Most children under 12 years of age do not have the abstract reasoning skills to process what they are experiencing when a disaster hits. 

The American Psychological Association has a great article about managing distress through resilience. It is a choice, but you can adapt and eventually find a new normal after facing tragedy. Fortunately, children are very adaptable, but a lot of their resiliency is based on the emotional health of the primary adults in their life. Following are ways that we can reduce the emotional impact and build a resilient family:

• Limit exposure to graphic news and talk
• Develop consistency through routines
• Exercise and stay busy
• Find active ways to contribute
• Tap into your spirituality and write down what you are experiencing—encourage children to draw pictures
• Look for heroes and the good that is happening
• Take steps to move forward as soon as possible
• Set a goal for each day
• Hug, hold hands, and read happy stories to your children while cradling them in your lap

Managing Flood Related Distress by Building Resilience
"You can take steps today to reduce stressful emotions in the midst of the flood-related chaos by strengthening your resilience. Resilience is the process of adapting while facing adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or other sources of stress. By strengthening your resilience, you will be better able to persevere through the challenges posed by flooding of your home and community."