Disaster Resource Hub

When disaster hits, children and families often face overwhelming feelings of fear, confusion, and grief. The Disaster Resource Hub offers compassionate support for youth and their caregivers as they navigate the emotional impact of crisis, traumatic news, and loss. Here, you’ll find age-appropriate tools, trauma-informed guidance, and grief resources to foster healing, build resilience, and remind families that they are not alone—even in the darkest of times.

Conversation Starters:

• Responding to Tragedy: How to talk with children about traumatic events. Also available in Spanish.
• Talking to Children about Tragic Events in the News: Created by the Coalition to Support Grieving Students

Postcard Pointers:

• Natural Disaster Grief: Pocket-size postcard pointers with top tips from the field of childhood bereavement support.

Activities:

• Coping After a Disaster: Activity Book for Youth:  Created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Memory Jar: A special way to capture memories that can be kept safe and revisited time and time again.
• Let’s Help by Sesame Workshop: A Guide for Grown-Ups Helping Children Through the Toughest Times

Videos:

• Offering Comfort in Scary Times: A video by Sesame Workshop to let kids know it’s good to ask questions about scary or confusing things happening around them.
• Talking About “Big Feelings”: A video by Sesame Workshop to encourage kids to explore and express a range of feelings.

Books:

• Something Very Sad Happened: A Toddler’s Guide to Understanding Death, by Bonnie Zucker. Written at a developmental level that is appropriate for 2-4 year old’s, the story explains death; lets children know that it is okay to feel sad.
• A Terrible Thing Happened by Cary Pillo and Margaret M. Holmes. This gently told and tenderly illustrated story is for children, ages 5-9, who have witnessed any kind of violent or traumatic episode, including physical abuse, school or gang violence, accidents, homicide, suicide, and natural disasters such as floods or fire. **
• All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson. Sage’s thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn’t predictable.
• When a Friend Dies: A Book for Teens by Marilyn E. Gootman Ed.D. The death of a friend is a wrenching event for anyone at any age and can spark feelings that range from sadness to guilt to anxiety. Teenagers especially need help coping with grief and loss. This sensitive book answers questions grieving teens often have, like “How should I be acting?” “How long will this last?” and “What if I can’t handle my grief on my own?” **

Educator Guides:

• Guidelines for Responding to a Death of a Student or School Staff: Created by the Coalition to Support Grieving Students
• Supporting Grieving Students in the School Setting: A Guide for School Personnel Created by Our House

Caregiver Guides:

• Eluna’s Caregiver Guidebook includes supportive insights & interactive activities to accompany caregivers through the waves of grief & loss. With a personal tone, the Guidebook welcomes & walks alongside caregivers with the guiding principle, “How do we grieve together as a family?”
• The Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center has put together these six tips for parents and caregivers on How to Help Children after a Natural Disaster.

Support Programs:

• Camp Erin® is the largest national free grief camp network for kids, teens, and families grieving the death of a significant person in their lives. A variety of day, overnight, and online camp programs empower youth and their adult caregivers to explore their grief, build coping skills, and have fun in a supportive community through a mix of grief support and camp activities. 
• Camp Erin Online provides free, online support for families to come together, learn ways to navigate grief, and connect with others who have shared experiences. Through ongoing family grief support groups and creative grief expression events, families can be intentional about setting aside time and space to reconnect and remember together.
• The Eluna Resource Center offers confidential, personalized support in English and Spanish as well as a comprehensive online library of resources and referrals for youth and families impacted by addiction, grief and related complex challenges. On a mission to educate and equip, the Eluna Resource Center also offers Community Conversations, Care Packages, and the ability to save and share customized lists of resources within your community.

Financial Assistance supported by the Cencora Impact Foundation:

• Independent community pharmacy owners can apply for grants through the Disaster Relief Fund at the NCPA Foundation, to help repair pharmacies affected by disasters.
• Veterinary practices can apply for Emergency Grants through Not One More Vet to support clinics in staying open or reopening after disasters.

**Eluna is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and a percentage of your purchase will generate a commission to directly support The Eluna Resource Center.