This post draws on experiences and lessons learned from working during the recovery phase of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, La 2005. Disasters are calamitous events, traumatic and customarily outside the scope of normal human experiences and likely to involve psychological and physical injury. Disasters uniquely affect children because they are afflicted not only by the trauma of the event but also by their parents' fear and distress. When disasters strike, it disrupts the functioning of...

Today is the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and yet little progress has been made in preparing communities for better outcomes in disasters as we are seeing with Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Each year millions of children are disproportionately impacted and find themselves in great danger and traumatized by disasters disrupting their lives, families, schools, and communities. Despite the dangers of our reality, we are constantly witnessing an unacceptable lack of awareness when it comes...

With the frequency and intensity of disasters increasing and more kids being affected by school shootings, increasing acts of terrorism, rising crime and the lingering aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we face a growing public health crisis caused by trauma that touches us all. For children, the world can be a terribly traumatic place. Aside from neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, community and school violence, war, medical issues, and other frightening events, natural disasters...