First 5 Humboldt has put together Emergency Response Bags for distribution in the event of fire or earthquake. The bags were created to support young children and their families in ways county and community organizations may not commonly show up in the beginning stages after a natural disaster. Being a rural county, our support network is skilled in providing help with basic needs such as shelter, food, water, power, and fuel, but mental health support often comes later. We know that how adults respond to children during and after an emergency event has a huge effect on how young children make sense of the experience. This is why we wanted to create something to share with caregivers closer to the events themselves. We have pulled together a thoughtful collection of items and resources to support not only children but the caregivers who they will be looking toward in the days and weeks following a natural disaster event.
Each bag contains a multi-powered all-weather radio, Trinka and Sam trauma-informed story/coloring book, crayons, journal, sensory materials, and supporting resources and information about how to support young children in the event of this type of emergency. *The Trinka and Sam series can be found at Piplo Productions. They are available free to download in several languages and were developed in partnership with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
