{"id":23883,"date":"2026-05-27T09:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/?p=23883"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:56:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T13:56:33","slug":"early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2026\/05\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Early Hurricane Preparation Helps Families with Young Children Feel Safe and Ready"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As hurricane season approaches, Orange County is encouraging families to begin preparing early \u2014 especially those with young children. Taking simple steps now can help reduce stress later and provide children with a greater sense of security if severe weather impacts the area.<\/p>\n<p>While stocking supplies and reviewing emergency plans are important for every household, families with young children may need to take additional steps to ensure children feel safe and supported if routines are disrupted. According to experts with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orangecountyfl.net\/CommunityFamilyServices\/EarlyEducationPre-school.aspx\">Orange County Family Services Head Start<\/a>, early preparation can make a meaningful difference in how children respond during an emergency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWaiting until something feels urgent is usually too late, especially with children,\u201d said Avis McWhite, senior program manager of Early Childhood Education for Orange County Head Start. \u201cEarly preparation gives families time to think clearly, gather supplies and make decisions without stress. For children, it also normalizes the idea that we have a plan, which can reduce fear if something actually happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Reassuring Conversations<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Parents and caregivers can begin by having simple, reassuring conversations with children about emergencies such as hurricanes. Keeping explanations age-appropriate and focusing on safety can help children feel informed without becoming overwhelmed. A calm tone and clear message can help reinforce that adults are prepared and children will be supported.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChildren don\u2019t need a lot of details,\u201d explained McWhite. \u201cThe tone matters more than the words. When adults remain calm and confident, children feel more secure and understand that there are helpers working to keep everyone safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Keep Things Familiar<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Maintaining a sense of familiarity can also help children cope if routines change due to severe weather or evacuation. Bringing comfort items such as a favorite toy, blanket or book can help provide reassurance in unfamiliar environments. Small routines \u2014 like reading a bedtime story or keeping familiar snack times \u2014 can help restore a sense of normalcy even during uncertain circumstances.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Get Kids Involved<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Involving children in age-appropriate preparedness activities can also help reduce anxiety. Allowing children to help pack an emergency kit or practice simple safety steps can give them a sense of participation and control.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInvolving children in preparation helps make the process feel less frightening,\u201d affirmed McWhite. \u201cIt can be as simple as letting them choose a comfort item for an emergency kit or explaining what happens during a storm in a calm way. The goal isn\u2019t perfection \u2014 it\u2019s familiarity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Orange County encourages families to start small and build preparedness gradually. Gathering basic supplies, identifying a safe place at home, and reviewing emergency plans together can help families feel more confident as hurricane season approaches.<\/p>\n<p>For additional preparedness tips and resources, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orangecountyfl.net\/emergencysafety\/hurricanesafetyguide.aspx\">Orange County Hurricane Safety Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As hurricane season approaches, Orange County is encouraging families to begin preparing early \u2014 especially those with young children. Taking simple steps now can help reduce stress later and provide children with a greater sense of security if severe weather impacts the area. While stocking supplies and reviewing emergency plans are important for every household, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":23985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-public-health-safety"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Early Hurricane Preparation Helps Families with Young Children Feel Safe and Ready<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As hurricane season approaches, Orange County is encouraging families to begin preparing early \u2014 especially those with young children. 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Taking simple steps now can help reduce stress later and provide children with a greater sense of security if severe weather impacts the area.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/2026\/05\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OCFL Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OrangeCountyFlorida\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-27T13:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/iStock-1371935475-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Chris Romero\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@OrangeCoFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@OrangeCoFL\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris Romero\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Chris Romero\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a48aae4d9682c49980e8bfb742c62e4a\"},\"headline\":\"Early Hurricane Preparation Helps Families with Young Children Feel Safe and Ready\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T13:00:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":457,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/iStock-1371935475-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Public Health &amp; Safety\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\\\/\",\"name\":\"Early Hurricane Preparation Helps Families with Young Children Feel Safe and Ready\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/early-hurricane-preparation-helps-families\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newsroom.ocfl.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/iStock-1371935475-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-27T13:00:17+00:00\",\"description\":\"As hurricane season approaches, Orange County is encouraging families to begin preparing early \u2014 especially those with young children. 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