How to deal with your — and your child's — anxiety during wildfire season
Nearly 100 wildfires have been reported in N.L. this year
Nearly 100 wildfires have been reported in Newfoundland and Labrador so far this year, marking an early and active start to the season that has already claimed 12 homes on the island and threatened a community in central Labrador.
The threat of wildfires can cause significant disruption, and child psychologist Janine Hubbard says the stress and uncertainty affects everyone.
Hubbard said it's important to avoid keeping children in the dark about what's happening.
"Kids are smart. They pick up on the fact that adults are stressed over that," Hubbard said.
Rather than treating fires like an elephant in the room, Hubbard said, parents should involve their children in the preparation for a potential emergency evacuation.
Hubbard also suggests assigning children tasks, such as packing a bag or taking pictures of the home, which can be helpful for insurance purposes.
"Let them take total control of a bag that they want to pack with what they think are priorities. You can pack the necessities and the practical stuff in another bag for them, but let them figure that out," she said.
For children between the ages of eight and 10, Hubbard said allowing them to learn about wildfires through age-appropriate YouTube videos can be helpful.
"There are some fabulous videos and information online about how forest fires work," she said. "They get their sense of control by just understanding the situation a little bit better."
The main priority, she said, is reminding children that they will be safe.
For adults, she suggests preparing for wildfires in a similar manner to how people prepare for a hurricane can help alleviate anxiety.
"This is the time to make sure you've got all your emergency preparedness, your extra dog food, your extra water, all of those things," she said. "This appears to be something we're going to be talking about each year."
Fires settling
Provincial forest fire duty officer Jeff Motty said Monday that the fire threatening Churchill Falls is now under control, while a second fire, burning in nearby Faden Siding, is being contained.
Happy Valley-Goose Bay lifted its municipal fire ban on Monday, while several towns on the Avalon Peninsula maintain theirs despite there being a low risk status on the province's fire hazard map.
Motty said rain is in the forecast for Labrador — news that allows him to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Three of four days this week, we are expecting rain in Labrador. So that will settle the fire risk down," Motty said. "The weather settles my brain."
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With files from Labrador Morning and the St. John's Morning Show