Stressed-out victims of Katrina

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2005

The Hurricane Katrina catastrophe will produce many forms of suffering in all of its victims, young and old, indicates Catherine Cottone. assistant professor of psychology, University at Buffalo (N.Y.).

"The traumas that these victims face--loss of family members, friends, and neighbors; destruction of homes, neighborhoods, entire towns--guarantee that many of them will experience post-traumatic stress disorder in one form or another. Loss, displacement, and changes in routine, compounded with physiological stressors such as dehydration, hunger, or injury, increases the chances of psychological symptoms."

While kids "in general are quite resilient," infants. toddlers, and pre-teens especially are at risk. "The younger children are, the more their reaction depends on the adjustment of their parents and those around them," says Cottone. "If the environment and adults around them provide a safe, structured, and nurturing response to the disaster, the children have a better chance of faring well."

However, for 185,000 Louisiana school-age kids and another 160,000 students from Mississippi, starting the school year at new, strange places far away from their hometowns will be anything but routine or normal.

Teachers and school counselors are facing a tremendous responsibility as key support figures for their new arrivals. "This situation is difficult, as many children will be attending alternative schools and schools at which the student-teacher ratio limits may be lifted to allow for the influx of the displaced students," Cottone explains. "That will be confusing, even for the children who normally attend [these] schools."

She suggests that coping and processing activities be integrated into curriculums, such as was done following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Asking students to draw pictures, write stories or poems, and compile care packages can be very healing to the children, as well as to teachers and staff members.