Iowa Public Television

Resources for Parents

When things like floods, tornadoes, and other natural disasters happen close to home, children can have a lot of questions -- and a lot of fears. Adults are dealing with the stress and emotions of the difficult situations as well. Below are resources to help -- how to answer difficult questions, what to do to comfort children, and how to help your kids better understand their emotions.

• The experts from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood have advice and tips to talk with kids about tragic events.
• PBS Parents has resources to involve your children in the discussions appropriately, and help answering children's insightful and difficult questions.
• Understanding the Impact of Disasters on the Lives of Children and Youth (PDF file)
• A National Tragedy: Helping Children Cope
• Videos: Coping with Natural Disaster
  For Kids (1) | For Kids (2) | For Parents and Caregivers

Where to Get Help

• The State of Iowa 2008 Flood Resource Center links to many flood-related services, including donation and volunteer links, links to FEMA, State of Iowa, and Business assistance programs, news and road closings, and resources for finding shelters and local and county government agencies.
• Flood safety tips from the Iowa Department of Transportation
• Up-to-date listing of flood-related road closures from the Iowa Department of Transportation
• Iowa Dept. of Public Health reminds Iowans of health concerns with flood water
• Get the latest weather forecast and predictions from the National Weather Service
• Up-to-date map of road closures and traffic information from the Iowa Department of Transportation
• The State Historical Society of Iowa's State Historic Preservation Office offers financial and technical disaster response resources, including information on salvaging and preserving water damaged historical documents.
• The United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency features information about the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) that helps farmers survive a major crop loss.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency has information relating to federal disaster assistance.
• Iowa State University Extension provides a collection of resources, ranging from crop and livestock issues to financial, economic development and small business concerns.
  

Ask the Experts

On Thursday June 19, experts from several organizations answered viewer questions as part of a live hour-long episode of The Iowa Journal.

Read the full transcript of the program
Watch the entire program online

Select a link below for a summary of selected questions and answers from this live event:

• Government Response
• Health & Safety
• Transportation
• Emotional Healing After a Crisis
• Agricultural Concerns
• Volunteering / How to Help

On Friday June 20, industry experts answered viewer questions about specific agricultural issues on the special Market to Market: Disaster Resources Call-In program.

Read the full transcript of the program
Watch the entire program online

If your question didn't get answered during our programs, we hope you'll find answers in our list of resources above, under Where To Get Help.

Related Photos

Post your photos of the floods and tornadoes that continue to ravage Iowa to our Flickr group to see them featured below.

Related Video

Watch current and past coverage of the floods of 2008, the tornado that ravaged Parkersburg, and natural disasters of years past.

Watch all related video clips »

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