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Helping Children Cope With Hurricane Katrina
Westport, CT (September 2, 2005)--
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Hurricane Katrina has displaced thousands of children and their families who will be in need of assistance for months to come. |
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, Save the Children is moving to assist children and their families forced from their homes in the hardest hit areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Save the Children expects to work with federal, state and local authorities as well as local community groups to help the thousands of displaced children adjust to their temporary living conditions.
“Our special focus will be on the dislocated children,” said Charles MacCormack, President and CEO of Save the Children. “We plan to work with our partners to create safe areas for children to gather and play, as well as provide children materials for fun and learning. Our goal will be to inject some normalcy into their lives, especially among children who have lost their homes and their communities.”
“We salute the first responders in this crisis including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army who have worked heroically to meet the immediate needs of Hurricane Katrina survivors. We believe we can be most effective in helping dislocated children adjust to this crisis over the long term,” MacCormack said.
Donate to the Gulf Coast Hurricanes Recovery Fund for Children
Ten tips to help children cope with Hurricane Katrina, click here.
Parents and educators, download the toolkit, Expecting the Unexpected: Building Partnerships and Plans to Help Children Cope with Crises (2002). The guide draws from the best national resources, programs and practices to meet the safety and security needs of children in rural, impoverished communities. It identifies practical models for bringing parents and community agencies together to plan for and recover from disasters.
