Save The Children To Help Central Florida Children Recover From Tornadoes

In the wake of the deadly
tornadoes that struck central Florida on February 2, Save the Children is
dispatching a team of experts to assist children and their families who
live in areas hardest hit by the storm.


"Our focus is to provide support for children affected by this natural
disaster," said Mark K. Shriver, vice president and managing director for
Save the Children's U.S. programs. "We know from our work on the Gulf Coast
after Hurricane Katrina and our response to emergencies around the world
that the unique needs of children often get lost in the confusion during an
emergency."



Save the Children plans to work with schools and shelters, providing
specially tailored activities to bring some normalcy into children's lives
and help them heal emotionally. The agency is reaching out to area
emergency shelters to provide safe play kits and activities for children
uprooted by the tornadoes.



Save the Children also will offer its signature emotional-support
programs -- which have assisted thousands of displaced children in
Louisiana and Mississippi during the past 18 months -- to schools in
central Florida, to help children and their adult caregivers cope with the
disaster and process their experiences. In addition, the agency will assess
child-care needs in the area, offering assistance where needed.



"Save the Children has provided emotional-support programs to more than
11,000 children who live in the area impacted by Hurricane Katrina, and we
hope to provide similar support to the children of central Florida who have
experienced the loss and insecurity that comes from a disaster," said
Shriver. "Children are very resilient, but they do need parental and
community support to help them in the recovery process."


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