Each spring we are bombarded by severe storms in Texas. A spring without storms would be like a summer without hundred-degree weather. We all know the drill for a tornado warning: Run to the safest, lowest, interior room in the house with no windows, such as an interior closet or bathroom, with as many walls between you and the outside as possible. For an adult, this is a scary situation, but for children it can be traumatizing. They are plucked from what they are doing or from a deep sleep and put into a small room and told to stay still. Recently, Tiffany wrote a post about “Top Five Tips for Staying Safe in Storms.” Here are five tricks I use and recommend to help the kiddos during the storm.
Be Calm
I cannot stress this enough. Kids are like Geiger counters and will pick up immediately if you are upset and scared. It is so hard to keep a smile on your face when you have no idea if a tornado is coming towards your neighborhood. You can cry, scream, use colorful words on the inside, but during the storm, put that big smile on your face!
Comfort Lovies
As adults, we have a lot of things that are valuable to us and do not want to lose. The same goes for children. For them it’s their favorite stuffed animal or blanket. When you get your child to the safe room, grab his or her lovie. Not only will this provide comfort, but it would be devastating to lose. But please remember if there is little time to get into the safe room, do not spend a lot of time looking for these things.
Toys
Everyone should have an emergency preparedness bag for events like this. It is great to have a backpack that you can quickly grab or leave in your safe room. In it have a small bag with some toys. When you are placed under a tornado watch, go ahead and put the bag of toys in the safe room. This way you won’t be trying to grab things on your way. Keeping them entertained is key!
Story Time
Once upon a time . . . The Three Little Pigs . . . Humpty Dumpty . . . anything you can pull out of your brain! Keeping their mind, and yours for that matter, off what is happening outside can help so much. Plus you have your flashlight from your safety bag, so you can use that to help narrate your story with hand shadows!
Helmets
This is a new one in the past few years. Many injuries from tornados are head injuries. Weathermen suggest covering your head with a helmet rather than the old way with your hands. The CDC has yet to come out and say that this is an important recommendation, but it is a great idea to have them available. Make it fun for the kids. Pretend that you are going on an adventure and incorporate the helmets into the stories! Better safe than sorry. If you are sitting in the bathtub, you can pretend you are a bobsled team in the Olympics!
These are just five tips for keeping the kids calm in the safe room. The weather is so unpredictable as we all know, so it is better to be over prepared than racing around during an emergency. Just remember to stay calm for your kids and hunker down together in those safe rooms during severe weather!
