Plymouth County Extension 251 12th Street S.E. Le Mars, Iowa 51031 712-546-7835 FAX 712-546-7837 E-mail [email protected] Dear Child/Youth Care Provider, “Flooding”, “Levee”, “Sand boils” are becoming all too familiar words to residents all along the Missouri River. The Missouri River Valley is in the midst of a record-breaking prolonged natural disaster. As adults, we have knowledge and resources to work through many of the issues associated with the flood. However, children and youth often do not have the experiences and knowledge necessary to process this disaster. Even children not directly impacted by the flooding may have questions or concerns. It is up to us as adults to assist them. Iowa State University Extension (ISUE) has resources available to guide you in assisting children and youth work through this natural disaster. Included with this letter is an explanation of these websites, and an article “Help Children Cope with a Disaster”.  “Dealing with Disasters” http://www.extension.iastate.edu/topic/recovering-disasters,  “Assisting Children and Youth Cope with Disasters” http://www.extension.iastate.edu/woodbury/info/floods+and+youth.htm  “Children as Victims of Natural Disasters” http://www.cfs.purdue.edu/extension/documents/children_families/ChildrenVictimsNaturalDi sasters.pdf  “Understanding the Impact of Disasters on the Lives of Children and Youth” http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/family/az1341/az1341c.pdf  “Children, Stress, and Natural Disasters” http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/disaster/teacher/teacher.html  “Children's Literature on Floods and Natural Disasters” http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/disaster/teacher/floodbib.html  “The Great Storm and Flood Recovery: Children’s Story and Activity Book” http://www.mentorresearch.org/Documents/StormFloodColoringBookParentGuide.pdf  American Red Cross “Masters of Disaster” http://www.redcross.org/disaster/masters/ If you have questions or would like to have Extension Staff meet with your staff or conduct a program with your children/youth, please contact Lori Hayungs or Brenda Welch. Sincerely, Brenda Welch 4-H Youth Program Specialist Lori Hayungs Family Life Program Specialist Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability.