When Flames Dance in Their Heads : Children: Experts who dealt with trauma after Bay Area earthquake, fire bring lessons they’ve learned to school, mental health officials in Laguna Beach.

Nancy Fernandez and Sheldon Throntveit are no strangers to disaster.

As employees of Alameda County Mental Health Services, they worked with thousands of traumatized schoolchildren after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 and Oakland firestorm in 1991.

This week they traveled south to share some things they’ve learned.

About 100 Laguna Beach school officials, parent leaders and county mental health professionals met with Fernandez and Throntveit Friday to better prepare for the psychological problems schoolchildren and their families are bound to encounter after the Laguna firestorm last week.

About 100 children of the 2,400 in the Laguna Beach Unified School District lost their homes in the fire. Six district employees also lost their homes, while the fire destroyed several classrooms at Thurston Middle School.

Such a disaster, however, affects everyone.

“We’ve had some damage at our school sites, but we’re fixing that,” said Nancy Hubbell, director of special services for the Laguna Beach Unified School District. “The most important thing is to look at the well-being of the children--in the short term and long term.”

Using a guidebook and video developed with federal emergency funds after the Loma Prieta Earthquake, Fernandez and Throntveit gave the group tips for preventing long-term emotional problems and spotting children who may need extra attention.

Schools are crucial to the recovery of children traumatized by disasters, and may be the only stable part of their day, the therapists said. Teachers often know the children as well as anyone and can tell if they are showing any unusual behavior.

But first, Fernandez stressed, teachers must take care of themselves before trying to help their students.

Common reactions following a disaster include fear and anxiety, the therapists said.

Children may also be grieving from the realization that the world is not always a safe place and that their parents cannot always protect them, the therapists said.

“That’s tough enough for adults to deal with,” Throntveit said. “It’s also tough for children.”

Simple class discussions and drawing projects do a lot in allowing children to express their feelings and feel better, the therapists said.

“Fortunately, the worst is over,” said Fernandez, disaster coordinator for the Alameda County Mental Health Services. “As terrible as any disaster is, the best part is reaching out to help people, to help them rebuild their lives.”

Laguna educators, working in cooperation with the Orange County Health Care Agency, have already taken several steps to help families recover.

Crisis counselors have been at the city’s four schools since the disaster struck.

The two agencies are seeking emergency funds for a 60-day plan that would place one county psychologist at each school to help the district’s own counselors with any problems encountered by students and their families.

The schools are also organizing small group rap sessions for fire victims and setting up “buddy” families to help those who lost their homes.

Meanwhile, school officials expected to have new portable classrooms set up at Thurston Middle School on Friday to replace those burned last week. By early next week, officials said they hope to have a normal schedule reinstated at Thurston.

“We’re so fortunate our schools are still here,” Hubbell said. “They have been focal points in the community, and they really are central in organizing this (recovery) effort.”