Coping with Storm Anxiety

Rania Mankarious is executive director of Crime Stoppers of Houston. (Photo: lawellphoto.com)

It seems like, as the weeks come and go, there are more life lessons nestled in between the passing hours. Recently, we were all reminded that life is fleeting and that material things can be taken away in an instant.

We all worried about our insurance policies, wondered if our houses would stand the current. We moved cars and called family. We thought of the elderly, homeless animals, parks, schools and our offices. We sat helpless and at the mercy of Mother Nature. We wondered what the cost of the damage would be and reminded ourselves of the potential for tricks and scams in the aftermath.

But while Mother Nature was doing her thing and many of us were busy doing ours, it dawned on me from hearing comments from others:  more and more children (toddlers through high-schoolers) were starting to see weather as a new source of anxiety.

Extreme weather is a reality of life and overwhelming rain is a reality of living in Texas. With that in mind, it is critically important to nip this problem in the bud sooner rather than later. Here are five easy steps to do so:

1. Understand your child’s fear. Children, even through the older years, do not understand what lengths people go to keep their homes safe. They don’t understand drainage systems, roofing materials or emergency procedures in a storm. A child or young adult sees solutions to the extent they can create them, and often, that’s not an extensive list. Recognize your child’s fears and how unsolvable certain problems might seem to them. Take these concerns seriously and then address them.
2. Talk to your child and give the right message. This means, talk to your children, on their level, sending the right message. This means not using phrases like “Don’t be a baby” or “Don’t be silly” and instead saying things like: “I know you are frightened of the storm, it’s absolutely understandable, but we build our home with your safety in mind and with the potential for storms in mind. Even if something were to happen like water coming into the home, we have a plan to stay safe (which is the most important thing) and get help. All will be okay.”   
3. Make sure you have a plan and talk about it. Fear and anxiety come from feelings of insecurity and lack of safety. The more you can share your plan with your children, the more they will understand that you are taking control of your collective safety. Talk about the different emergency numbers you can call (either police or fire or the city or county); talk about times it’s safe to leave the house and under what conditions you will stay put at home.
4. Turn the storm into an activity; use it as a time for families to come together. For younger children, have them grab a notepad and turn into a meteorologist. Have them write down what they see and what they hear. Add the time and keep going, track how the storm changes. For older kids, get them involved in the safety measures. Have them change the batteries in flashlights or get candles and matches ready. Give them a task to move items off the floor or get buckets for water. Make sure they charge iPads and/or phones and that they take part in calling on friends and family to assure the safety of all. Start putting a list together of items you can supply to others who are in need.  
5. Monitor news and programming which might cause more fear but at the same time, be honest with your children, in an age-appropriate manner, when asked questions by them.

This wild weather is a nightmare for a majority of us but children, it can be the basis of real fear and anxiety. We know that Mother Nature is an equal opportunity offender, but we also know that our resilience as families and as a community will get us through.  What a great life lesson and reminder for all of us. 

For more information on Crime Stoppers of Houston, go to crime-stoppers.org and follow Crime Stoppers on Facebook. Have topics in mind that you’d like Rania to write about? Email her directly at [email protected]. Read past Sundays with Rania posts here.

Editor's Note: Views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Buzz Magazines.