As hurricane season approaches Florida, families sometimes forget to consider how their children feel about the storm. While scrambling to get a hurricane kit ready, parents might forget to tend to their kids’ emotions during this time.
Author Fernanda Ferrell-Zabala was was inspired to write “Rosie and the Hurricane” during last year’s hurricane season when she noticed her niece and nephew feeling anxious while watching news of an approaching storm. She noticed that children have unique emotions during hurricanes, such as boredom, fear and annoyance.
Ferell-Zabala grew up in being used to hurricane preparedness because of her family’s involvement in advanced hurricane technology, so she felt compelled to provide a different kind of preparation for kids.
After the hurricane passed, she spearheaded efforts to bring joy to affected families, sponsoring an ice cream truck to give free ice cream to children at a food pantry.
The need to support children during these challenging times continued to resonate with Ferell-Zabala.
The book aims to help children understand and cope with the emotional aspects of hurricane preparedness, ensuring they have access to the joy and support they need during and after these natural disasters.
