In Northwest Indiana, schools are back in session. But this school year has brought new challenges for some children and their families.

Severe storms struck Indiana on Aug. 11, just days after school had started for many children, leaving schools without power and temporarily closing campuses. Power was restored to most campuses by Aug. 24, but some families with school-age children remain in shelters.

Husband Cary, wife Kenyalta and their five children are one of those families.

Cary and Kenyalta have been together for 15 years. Their children, ages 11, 9, 7, 5 and 1, are staying with them at an American Red Cross shelter in Gary, Ind., where the family is working to maintain familiar routines amid an unfamiliar situation.

“Being here affects their school routine,” says Kenyalta.

Before the storms, their evenings followed a familiar rhythm: come home, do homework, eat dinner, get cleaned up and be in bed by 8 p.m. Life in a shelter has required some adjustment.

“It’s probably the hardest for kids, being in a shelter,” says Judy “Jude”, a disaster mental health volunteer who deployed from Michigan to support shelter residents in Gary.

Based on her experience on numerous disaster deployments, Jude has seen how difficult disruption can be for children. Parents, caregivers and Red Cross shelter workers have worked to prioritize the needs of the shelter’s youngest residents.

For Cary and Kenyalta, the goal is to preserve as much normalcy and stability as possible for their children while the family navigates an uncertain time.

“I don’t want them to be traumatized,” says Cary.

So he does everything he can to “make it work.” The family moved their cots close together so they can sleep near one another at night. They spend time with each child through their interests, whether that means playing on the phone, drawing favorite TV characters or making pipe cleaner dolls.

Over Labor Day weekend, they put on their bathing suits and made a trip to a nearby beach.

“It almost feels we’re camping.”

With more than 15 children staying at the shelter over the past few weeks, volunteers have worked to accommodate residents of all ages. A playpen gives babies and toddlers a safe place to play. Games and crafts help keep older children busy. Lights go out earlier so families can settle in for the night. Transportation, including ride-share and bus routes, has been coordinated to help school-age children get to and from school.

Other shelter residents have also looked out for their younger neighbors. Crystal, who has a background in musical theater and dance, taught some of the children dance routines, including stepping and marching.

The school year may not have started the way these families imagined. But at the Gary shelter, children and their families are finding ways to hold onto familiar routines, spend time together and create moments of joy amid the disruption.

To learn more about how the Red Cross is supporting communities across Indiana, visit RedCross.org/Indiana.

If you or someone you know has been affected by severe weather and needs assistance, please call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or visit RedCross.org/GetHelp.