This past week there was a 6.2 earthquake in the Italian town of Amatrice near Rome. Over 200 people were killed and many injured. Several families and children have lost their homes. South of Amatrice, my Mom lived through the 1962 earthquake in Campania, Italia.
Mom was working in the tobacco fields on the family farm at 12:44pm on August 21st when the 5.4 magnitude earthquake destroyed the family home. Their house collapsed and all that was left was rubble. The family lived in tents with no indoor plumbing for two years while they slowly rebuilt their lives and house.
L.toR. Lorenzo Vacca, Gelarda Vacca Giangregorio, Sofia Vacca Morella, Amalia Cutugno Vacca, Elisabetta Vacca Galliano, Vincenzo Vacca, and Antonio “Tony” Vacca
Everyday children experience crises like these that are completely out of anyone’s control. Natural disasters cause great damage. The American School Counselor Association recommends the following ways to help children during a crisis: (a) try to maintain routines to offer predictability, (b) limit exposure to news, (c) provide honest information that is developmentally appropriate, and (d) listen and be responsive to children’s concerns and fears. We can help children and families in crisis. “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all,” ~Emily Dickinson. Sending my love and prayers for children and families experiencing crises.