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P ag e A 7
F E B . 3 , 1999
(Elje fjo rt La nò (Obscrurr
Helping Children Cope With Disaster
Disasters of any kind or magni­
tude can strike quickly and without
warning.
These events can be especially
frightening for children.
During a disaster, children may
become anxious, confused or fright­
ened. As an adult, you’ll need to
cope with the event, and also give
your children crucial guidance about
how to respond.
Children depend on routine.
When emergencies or disasters in­
terrupt this routine, children be­
come anxious. In a disaster, they’ll
look to you and other adults for
help. How you react to an emer­
gency gives them clues about how
to act. If you react with alarm, a
child may become more scared.
They see our fear as proof that the
danger is real. Children’s fears also
may stem from their imagination,
and you should take these feelings
seriously. A child who feels afraid
is afraid. Your words and actions
can provide reassurance.
When you’re sure that danger has
passed, concentrate on your child’s
emotional needs by asking him/her
to explain what’s troubling them.
Your response during this “problem
time” may have a lasting impact.
Be aware that after a disaster,
children are most afraid the event
will happen again; someone will be
hurt; they will be separated from
the family; and they will be left
alone.
Immediately after a disaster, try
to reduce your child’s fear and anxi­
ety by calmly and firmly explaining
the situation. As best you can, tell
children what you know about the
disaster. Explain what will happen
next. Talk to children at their eye
level.
Parents and caregivers can create
a family disaster plan by taking four
simple steps. First, leam what haz­
ards exist in your community and
how to prepare for each. Meet with
your family to discuss what you
would do, as a group, in each situa­
tion. Next, take steps to prepare your
family for disaster such as posting
emergency phone numbers, as­
semble disaster supplies kits for each
member of your household, and in­
stall smoke detectors on each level
o f your home. Finally, practice your
family disaster plan so that every­
one will remember what to do when
a disaster does occur.
Teach your child how to recog­
nize danger signals. Make sure your
child knows what smoke detectors
sound like.
Explain how to call for help. Teach
your child how and when to call 911
for help. Check the telephone direc­
tory for local emergency phone num­
bers and post these phone numbers
by all telephones.
Help your child memorize im­
portant family information. Children
should know their family name, ad­
dress and phone number. They should
also know were to meet in case o f an
emergency. Some children may not
be old enough to memorize the in­
formation. They could carry a small
index card to give to an adult, or
babysitter, that lists emergency in­
formation.
Encourage children to talk. Let
children talk about the disaster as
much as they want. Encourage them
to describe what they’re feeling, lis­
ten to what they say. If possible,
include the entire family in the dis­
cussion.
Include children in recovery ac­
tivities. Give children chores that
are their responsibility. This will
help children feel they are part of
the recovery. Having a task will help
them understand that everything will
be all right.
You can help children cope by
understanding what causes their anxi­
eties and fears. Reassure them with
Too Many Of Our Children
In Foster Care
V olunteers from diverse com ­
m unities are needed to volunteer,
one full weekday a m onth to re­
view cases o f children in the fos­
ter care system. The C itizens Re­
view Board (CRB) is recruiting
citizens to serve on its boards in
Multnomah County.
The population o f Oregon in
1996 was estim ated to be 88.98%
Caucasian, 1.59% African-Ameri­
can, 5.11% Hispanic, and 1.50%
Native American. However, ac­
cording to “The Status o f Children
in O regon’s Child Protection Sys­
tem 1997,” only 73.9% o f the chil­
dren in foster care were C auca­
sian; 13.6% were African-A m eri­
can. 6.6% were Hispanic, and 5.0%
were Native American.
The CRB is a division o f the
Oregon Judicial Departm ent that
reviews cases o f children in the
custody o f the State offices for
Services to Children and Families
(SCF), and o f youth in the custody
o f the State Offices for Services
to Children and Fam ilies (SCF),
and o f youth in the custody o f the
Oregon Y outh Authority (O Y A),
who have been removed from their
homes. These children and youth
are in foster homes, group homes,
and residential treatm ent centers
the boards conduct review s at­
tended by parents, foster parents,
therapists, attorneys, and SCF
caseworkers or OY A parole offic­
ers. The boards review each child’s
case plan, or each youth’s refor­
mation plan, identify the needs in
the case, and make recom m enda­
tions to the Juvenile Court. SCF,
orOYA.
The C hief Justice o f the Oregon
Happy
Birthday
to prepare for the reviews on their
own prior to the board m eeting
day. Residents o f M ultnom ah
County interested in serving on
the CRB may call Clayton Kubota
at 731 -8382 to request an applica­
tion.
Supreme Court appoints volun­
teers to serve 2-year terms. There
are 22 boards in M ultnom ah
County, and each board meets on a
set weekday every month from 8:30
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Board members
spend approximately 8 to 10 hours
firmness and love. Your children
will realize that life will eventually
return to normal.
Contact the Portland Office of
Emergency Management, a Division
o f the Portland Fire Bureau, 823-
3738 for information and materials
that can better assist in preparing a
disaster plan.
Walnut Park Liquor Store
To Relocate
The Walnut Park Liquor Store next to the Renaissance Market on
N. Killingsworth will be relocating.
The store will be located at 4312 N. Interstate Ave., corner
of Skidmore and Interstate, as of February 16, 1999.
The hours will be from 11:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Monday
through Saturday.
Steve Bradley Band
T hursday, F eb ru ary 11 • 7:00 pm
Valentine’s Dance with X Angels
Friday, F eb ru ary 12 • 7:00 pm
Mt. Hood Jazz Festival Concert Series
KKJZ 5th Birthday Bash with Rick Braun
Sunday, F eb ru ary 14 • 7:00 pm • $20 adm ission
Arthur Moore Four Blues Band
Thursday, F eb ru ary 18 • 7:00 pm
Paul Delay Trio
Thursday, F eb ru ary 25 • 7:00 pm
Affordable
Songwriters in the Round • Craig Caruthers
Sunday, F eb ru ary 28 • 7:30 pm • $7 adm ission
JJ L O C K S M I T H
All ages welcome • No charge except w here noted
KEYS
February Music
WE MAKE KEYS FROM SCRATCH
F a s t S e rv ic e .
House C allsll!
M c M e n a m in s K e n n e d y S c h o o l
Fo r in fo rm a tio n c a ll: 2 4 9 -3 9 8 3
4724 NE Killingsworth
Portland OR 97218
(503) 284-9582
5736 HE 33rd
P o rtla n d , O regon
w w w .m c m e n a m ln s .c im
JOHNNY J. MOORE
REKEY AND INSTALL LOCKS
SAFEWAY
FOOD & DRUG
Look For Your
Safeway Weekly
Shopping Guide
In Your Oregonian FOODday
in the Portland Metro Area
. .and save more by shopping
BUY ONE GET ONE
at Safeway
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Light Tuna
6-oz.
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Prom Your
Family
Visit Safeways Web site at
www.safeway.com
PRICES FFKCTM 1ANUARY/EEBRUARY I W
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Safeway Club Price
Sweet, Juicy
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SAVE up to $1.30
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