Northeast > Resources > Disaster Preparedness and Response > Katrina and other Natural Disasters

Information Specific to Hurricane Katrina and other Natural Disasters

Resources

• After the Storm: A Guide to Help Children Cope With the Psychological Effects of a Hurricane (www.7-dippity.com/other/AfterTheStorm.pdf)
  This guide, published by 7-Dippity.com in the wake of the 2004 hurricane season that devastated Florida, provides information, activities, and coping strategies to help parents and children cope with their reactions to and feelings about a hurricane and its aftermath.

• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (www.aacap.org/)
  Disaster Response: Resources for Gulf Coast Families and Clinicians.

• American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (www.aaets.org/index.html) In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: Addressing Emergent Psychological Needs

• American Psychological Association Help Center (www.apahelpcenter.org/) Managing Traumatic Stress after Hurricane Katrina

• Emergency Medical Services for Children after the Emergency is Over: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Children and Youth [fact sheet].
  (http://www.ems-c.org/downloads/pdf/ptstress.pdf)
  This two-page fact sheet describes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and details its symptoms. It also provides tips for adults helping a child with PTSD and lists several sources of additional information. National organizations listed as resources include EMS Partnership for Children member groups, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers.

• Join Together (www.jointogether.org/sa/news/summaries/reader/0%2C1854%2C578256%2C00.html) Treatment Programs Organize to Help Hurricane Victims

• National Association of County and City Health Officials: Information for Local Public Health Agencies
  (www.naccho.org/topics/emergency/Katrina.cfm)
  NACCHO has collected messages and guidance released by HHS, CDC and other agencies regarding the response and recovery to this disaster.

• National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders offers a guidebook (www.ncptsd.org/treatment/disaster/index.html) for Mental Health clinicians and admininistrators confronted with stress related disorders.

• National Child Traumatic Stress Network Facts on Trauma and Homeless Children (www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/promising_practices/Facts_on_Trauma_and_Homeless_Children.pdf)
  This fact sheet outlines “trauma-specific care” that community-based shelters can implement to serve homeless children and families affected by trauma.

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (www.nida.nih.gov/about/welcome/Messagestress905.html) Message from the Director: Effects of Stress on Drug Abuse.

• Resources for Helping a Child Cope With Disasters (family.samhsa.gov/talk/katrinaseffects.aspx)
  This SAMHSA website provides resources for parents to help their children cope with the stress that follows disasters.

Organizations

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
  (www.aap.org/new/disasterresources.htm) This site contains resources to help children cope with natural and other disasters, including the AAP gateway to publications and other resources on the effects of Katrina on children’s mental health.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  (www.bt.cdc.gov/mentalhealth) This link includes information on general strategies for promoting mental health and resilience that have been developed by various organizations based on experiences in prior disasters.

• The Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA
  (www.smhp.psych.ucla.edu) This site contains the publications About Planning and Action for the Mental Health Needs of Students and School Staff in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as well as resources for responding to and coping with hurricane related events.

• Connect for Kids
  (www.connectforkids.org/node/3372?tn=hp/1b) The resources on this site
  are divided them into three sections: Emergency Guidelines for Helping Victims looks at how government agencies are developing procedures for helping the displaced; Giving & Getting Help is a compilation of information on donating and volunteering, also on help available to those affected; and Help with Healing offers information on supporting kids and families dealing with trauma related to Katrina.

• Headstart Information and Publication Center
  (www.headstartinfo.org/hurricane_rir.htm) This site contains numerous links to information and resources related to hurricane relief.

• National Association of School Psychologists (www.nasponline.org/NEAT/crisismain.html) This site contains numerous resources for helping children through crises.

• The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE)
  (www.serve.org/nche/katrina/students.php) NCHE has posted a Hurricane Katrina Response page that contains resources to assist caring adults provide children with the support they need to cope with the tragedy of a hurricane.

• National Mental Health Association (www.nmha.org/) This organization’s Coping with Hurricane Katrina page includes information on a number of relevant issues, including surviving sudden loss, dealing with stress, helping children cope, coping strategies for staff and volunteers, coping with evacuation, and NMHA's Blueprint for Responding to Public Mental Health Needs in Times of Crisis.

• National Safety Council (www.nsc.org/issues/prepare.htm) This organization’s Emergencies and Disasters section includes resources for the workplace, emergency responders, families, and journalists.

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cmhs/katrina/) SAMHSA’s Hurricane Katrina and Disaster Relief Information section contains information designed to assist people in storm-damaged areas and the workers who are taking care of those who have been devastated.

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  (www.hhs.gov/emergency/hurricane.html) This section of the HHS website contains information on the role of various federal agencies in addressing natural disasters; resources for locating loved ones; how to get help; and strategies for coping with mental health issues associated with Katrina.

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