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A mobile kitchen serves food at an evacuation center in Barangay Palawig in Santa Ana, Cagayan on July 26, 2023 after the area was hit by typhoon Egay. The evacuation center houswed the most number of evacuees in the whole town of Santa Ana with 104 families or 319 individuals under its care. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

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Evacuation

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721896819509Capture.PNG" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Residents of Baseco Compound, mostly living by the shores of Manila Bay settle inside the modular tents provided by the local government at the Baseco Evacuation Center in Manila on October 12, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Residents of Tumana Village in Marikina deal with heavy flooding on July 24, 2024, as heavy rains brought about by the southwest monsoon and enhanced by Typhoon Carina continue to pour the whole day, flooding many parts of Metro Manila. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></strong></div><div><span dir="ltr" id="isPasted"><em>A Tagalog version of this story can be found </em><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2024/7/25/tips-paano-dapat-kausapin-alagaan-ang-mga-bata-sa-evacuation-centers-1701" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" title="https://news.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2024/7/25/tips-paano-dapat-kausapin-alagaan-ang-mga-bata-sa-evacuation-centers-1701"><em>here.</em></a></span> </div><p>MANILA — The Philippines&#x27; disaster agency, on Thursday, reported that some 1.1 million people have been affected by recent weather disturbances, the latest being super typhoon &quot;Carina&quot; which enhanced the southwest monsoon and flooded the country&#x27;s capital region, forcing families out of their homes.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/25/14-dead-due-to-habagat-carina-butchoy-ndrrmc-933">• 21 dead due to habagat, Carina: PNP</a></div><p>While some have returned home, thousands of families, including children, are still stuck in evacuation centers as local governments scramble to address the aftermath of the flooding.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/25/residents-in-manila-return-home-after-heavy-downpour-from-typhoon-carina-1120">• Residents in Manila return home after heavy downpour from typhoon Carina</a></div><p>In 2016, the Philippines passed the Republic Act 10821, or the &quot;Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act,&quot; which mandates the government &quot;to protect the fundamental rights of children before, during, and after disasters and other emergency situations when children are gravely threatened or endangered by circumstances that affect their survival and normal development.&quot;</p><p>With the government expected to provide safe spaces for children in evacuation centers, the parents, guardians, and caregivers must also do their part in cushioning the impact of the disaster on these children.</p><div><strong>ANXIETY AMONG CHILDREN</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172189074901420230726-egay-feeding-cagayan-MT-6.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Residents of Baseco Compound, mostly living by the shores of Manila Bay settle inside the modular tents provided by the local government at the Baseco Evacuation Center in Manila on October 12, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A mobile kitchen serves food at an evacuation center in Barangay Palawig in Santa Ana, Cagayan on July 26, 2023 after the area was hit by typhoon Egay. The evacuation center housed the most number of evacuees in the whole town of Santa Ana with 104 families or 319 individuals under its care. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN New</span></span></span></strong></div><p style="text-align:left">In an interview with Telerdyo Serbisyo, pediatrician <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Cynthia Cuayo-Juico said that even infants feel the anxiety and stress of their mothers</span><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(44, 130, 201);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important"><a href="https://healthcare.utah.edu/the-scope/kids-zone/all/2020/06/can-anxiety-transfer-my-baby-through-breastfeeding">.</a></span><span style="color:rgb(44, 130, 201)"></span><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(44, 130, 201);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important"> </span></p><p>&quot;So relax lang tayo dapat, kalmante lang dapat yung nanay kasi kung hindi talagang mahirap makasundo yung baby, may sumpong nang konti,&quot; said Juico, who has been a pediatrician for over 40 years.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/11/17/22/mental-health-issues-rise-among-filipino-youth">• Mental health issues continue to increase among Filipino youth - psychiatrist</a></div><p>(That&#x27;s why the lactating mother should calm down so the baby can be relaxed too.)</p><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3063827"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><p><strong></strong>The impact of disasters for those above 5 years old is significantly greater, as these children are more conscious about their surroundings according to <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Juico.</span></p><p>Parents should therefore explain to them why they have been displaced and that their situation is only temporary, Juico said.</p><p>&quot;Mas ipaintindi mo, i-explain mo sa kanila bakit umuulan, bakit tayo nahihirapan sa pag-ulan na ganito, ano ang problema natin, at meron tayong solusyon. Yun ang dapat kasi kung may problema ka, may katapat dapat na solusyon,&quot; Juico said.</p><p>(You have to explain to them why it was raining, why we are struggling, what is the problem and the solution. There should be a solution.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>HOW PARENTS SHOULD ACT</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172189095907420211012-tropical-storm-maring-baseco-evac-GC-8465.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Residents of Baseco Compound, mostly living by the shores of Manila Bay settle inside the modular tents provided by the local government at the Baseco Evacuation Center in Manila on October 12, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Residents of Baseco Compound, mostly living by the shores of Manila Bay settle inside the modular tents provided by the local government at the Baseco Evacuation Center in Manila on October 12, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</span></span></span></strong></div><p>The pediatrician said that parents should put up a brave face for their children instead of showing them their distress.</p><p>&quot;Medyo umarte tayo nang konti na... okay lang tayo. Kasi kung hindi mahihirapan tayo talaga and psychologically mahirap tanggalin [ang trauma]... Kasi natatandaan nila yun eh, subconsciously natatandaan nila yung galit, natatandaan nila yung nangyayari sa kanila,&quot; she explained.</p><p>(We have to somehow act that everything will be okay. Because if not, these traumas can psychologically scar the children because they remember these adversities.)</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/04/24/23/parents-immerse-in-science-behind-childhood-development">• Parents immerse in science behind childhood development</a></div><p>&quot;Whatever they see or feel around them, yun ang nananatili sa kanilang persona (it lasts and affects their persona growing up],&quot; she added.</p><p>In a lecture at Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma last March, Charles Nelson III, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, explained that the development of a child&#x27;s brain can be &quot;compromised&quot; by adverse experiences. He added that these experiences can be &quot;biologically embedded&quot; and impact the the child&#x27;s developmental trajectory.</p><p>However, Juico admitted that there would be times when the parents could no longer hold their emotions in and have to express their frustrations. This is valid and should be explained to the children, she said.</p><p>&quot;Parang aminin mo na kailangan mo ring magkaroon ng outlet para maintindihan din ng mga anak, ng mga asawa, na hindi naman tayo pwedeng magtitiis lang all the time, we need an outlet dahil kung hindi maloloka tayo,&quot;</p><p>(We have to explain to our family why we are having an outburst, they need to know because we can&#x27;t just suppress our emotions, we will go crazy.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>PROPER FRAMING</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172189086931620230726-egay-feeding-cagayan-MT-7.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="An evacuation center in Barangay Palawig in Santa Ana, Cagayan on July 26, 2023 after the area was hit by typhoon Egay. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">An evacuation center in Barangay Palawig in Santa Ana, Cagayan on July 26, 2023 after the area was hit by typhoon Egay. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News<br id="isPasted"/></span></span></span></div><p>The pediatrician said the parents can still make something positive out of a distressing situation by imparting words of wisdom to the child.</p><p>&quot;[Tell them] may mga pangyayari sa buhay natin tulad ng bagyo, baha na hindi natin pwede kontrolin... Pero kontrolado natin [na kausapin sila at sabihin na] &#x27;nandito kami ng mama at papa mo, puwede tayo maglaro maghapon,&#x27; kuwentuhan mo sila, hindi mo sasabihin na &#x27;kawawa naman tayo bakit tayo nagkaganito.&#x27; Natatandaan yan eh,&quot; Juico said.</p><p>(You can tell them that this is temporary and that we cannot control nature. What we can control is assure them everything will be alright, play with them, don&#x27;t say &#x27;We are so pitiful why did this happen to us&#x27; because they remember that.)</p><p>&quot;You make use of the situation para maging positive ang attitude nung bata... You make the situation work for you dahil pagkakataon na para mag-usap kayo, para turuan mo sila ng mga bagay na dapat nilang malaman,&quot; she added.</p><p>(Use the opportunity to teach them positive lessons in life.)</p><p>Juico said that the government should also be responsible for teaching parents how to respond to disasters.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/8/only-13-pct-of-filipinos-aged-3-or-4-receive-early-child-education-gatchalian-2005">• Only 13 pct of Filipinos aged 3 or 4 receive early child education: Gatchalian</a></div><p>&quot;Dapat sa evacuation centers o mga communities, kailangan turuan sila ano dapat sabihin sa mga bata, ano magiging reaksyon mo sa bata pag nag-eevacuate tayo, anong dapat mong dalhin, kailangan dalin mo yung pinaka favorite nyang laruan kahit isa,&quot; she explained.</p><p>(This is why in evacuation centers and communities, the parents should be taught how to take care of children, and what to bring during those times, like at least one of their favorite toys.)</p><p>In a report published in 2023, the UN Children&#x27;s Fund (Unicef) said that weather disasters fueled by climate change such as floods to droughts, storms to wildfires, led to the displacement of about 43.1 million children<span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none"> </span>from 2016 to 2021.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/10/06/23/tens-of-millions-of-children-uprooted-by-climate-disasters-unicef">• Tens of millions of children uprooted by climate disasters: Unicef</a></div><p>The report found that the Philippines was among the countries with the largest number of displacements along with <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">China and India due to</span> their huge populations and their geographic locations as well as their preventive evacuation plans.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2nGMBG0gG0w?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Parents should explain to children why they have been displaced and that their situation is only temporary, according to a pediatrician. </p>

Parents should explain to children why they have been displaced and that their situation is only temporary, according to a pediatrician.

Children and disasters: How to take care of kids while stuck in evacuation centers

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Children and disasters: How to take care of kids while stuck in evacuation centers

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 25, 2024 04:07 PM PHT

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Updated July 25, 2024 06:13 PM PHT

Read More:

Children

early childhood

development

trauma

psychology

disaster

children disaster

parenting

typhoon

Carina

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