The 2007 hurricane season is upon us and the first major storm, Hurricane Dean, has pummeled Jamaica and is currently bearing down on eastern Mexico. Mother Nature’s fury can have devastating effects on those people who survive the storm with their lives, but lose so much in the aftermath.

It was almost two years ago to the day that Hurricane Katrina was quickly approaching the shore of the United States. Her aftermath left the city of New Orleans decimated and the lives of its survivors shattered. Two years later, the area surrounding New Orleans has not improved much and those affected are still dealing with the residual effects of the storm. Based on FEMA estimates, 25,000-30,000 children, displaced by Hurricane Katrina are still living in the temporary trailers.

The American Psychological Association held a conference last week and in preparation, USA Today ran articles on the mental health struggles the victims still face in the August 16, 2007 issue. For adults, post traumatic stress disorder has increased five percent in the past year. The number of people contemplating suicide has increased from three percent a year ago to between six and eight percent now. Many adults are struggling with the stresses of rebuilding delays, loss of community and financial pressures.

For children, doctors report seeing an increase in panic attacks that come with rainy weeks. The wait to see a therapist at the Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is about a year, compared to a six month wait time pre-Katrina. There are reports of children’s increasing violent behavior, often a symptom of depression in children. One pediatrician estimates that 50 percent of his patients have mental health problems as opposed to five percent only two years ago.

While resources to support the mental health needs of people living in Louisiana, post-Katrina are desperately needed, this ordeal also reminds us that adults need to work with young children, beginning at infancy, to help them build their internal resilience. For more than a decade, the Devereux Early Childhood Initiative (DECI) has been working throughout the country assessing children’s resiliency factors and helping teachers, parents and care givers to learn how they can help children develop better internal resiliency factors. A person’s resiliency is a key factor to helping them better cope with the challenges throughout their lives.

We don’t know where our nation’s next big catastrophe will be, but we do know that we need to invest in helping all children to become resilient so that they can weather whatever storm their life’s circumstances will bring.