FEMA Announcements RSS Feed

Last Updated: Jul 21, 2011 - 12:58:55 PM

Children In Disasters Initiative Factsheet 

Release Date: November 18, 2008
Release Number: FNF-08-086

The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Save the Children and the American Red Cross have joined together to launch an initiative that will focus on strategies and practices that will enable the emergency management community at all levels to better address the needs of children in disasters. Children are among those who are most vulnerable during emergences and disasters; thousands of children were displaced from their homes as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

With planning and foresight, the emergency management community can minimize the risks faced by children in disasters. Children, families and those tasked with the care of children, can all take action before disasters occur to prepare for and mitigate their effects on children. 

Children in Disasters Training: The First Step.  The first action to be taken under the new initiative involves the development of a training course by the FEMA National Preparedness Directorate, Emergency Management Institute, in collaboration with IAEM and Save the Children. The course will be designed to help state and local emergency managers incorporate the needs of children into the emergency planning process and standard Emergency Operations Plans. It will be based on Save the Children’s emergency management guide, The Unique Needs of Children in Emergencies, a Guide for the Inclusion of Children in Emergency Operations Plans.

Under normal conditions, there are components at the governmental, private and non-profit level that form networks upon which children can depend on to support their development and protect them from harm. In addition to these systems, children normally are supervised by parents, guardians and/or primary caregivers. Once a disaster occurs, however, these foundations may suddenly collapse. Additionally, the physical and psychological damage sustained by children can far outweigh the same effects inflicted on adult members of society, often requiring years of physical, psychological and other therapy to address.

FEMA’s Commitment to Children. FEMA is committed to developing policies to benefit children before, during and after a disaster. FEMA, working closely with National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NECLC), has developed the National Emergency Child Locator Center. During a disaster, the Center operates a phone bank managed by the NECLC designed to help law enforcement agencies track children separated from their families as a result of a federally-declared disaster. Center staff members may also be deployed to shelters or health and human service centers to ensure the safety of dislocated children.

FEMA has also developed the National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System. This Web-based voluntary database lets individuals displaced after a disaster register their whereabouts online or over the phone. The FEMA for Kids program, a two-pronged effort, focuses on in-school and online disaster training. The two-hour program used in schools teaches 4th graders about disaster preparedness and helping with disaster recovery. The program includes American Red Cross first aid information, a visit by local firefighters, learning about pets in disasters and how to make a disaster kit.

Also supporting the program is the FEMA for Kids Web site ( www.fema.gov/kids ). The site helps children learn what to do before, during and after a disaster to safeguard themselves, their families and even their pets. The web site also provides information teachers and parents can use to teach children about disaster preparedness.
The Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP) program, built through a partnership between New England’s Regional FEMA External Affairs, National Preparedness and Management divisions, is an education project aimed at teaching students basic emergency preparedness skills. The goal of STEP is to ensure every 4th grader develops an emergency kit and communications plan. Each student will be equipped with an informative refrigerator magnet and their very own 'starter' kit -a carrying bag equipped with a water bottle, snack bar, emergency whistle, and an emergency blanket. The STEP program will reach over 2,500 fourth grade students in New England during its pilot year and FEMA plans to expand the program region-wide thereafter.

In more recent disaster recovery efforts, after Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, FEMA Voluntary Agency Liaisons assigned Crisis Corps members to work with the Save the Children Safe Spaces Program. These programs helped develop a safe, supervised play area for children at over 80 shelter sites. The Texas disasters were also approved for the Crisis Counseling Program, a program that helps children understand their feelings after a disaster, resolve losses and develop coping strategies.
Recognizing that children respond differently during and after a disaster, FEMA is committed to the process of assessing and adjusting disaster response services for children. The way FEMA provides services for children relies heavily on providing financial support to local and national volunteer agency partners.

Save the Children Successes with Disaster Training. Support networks, prudent planning, creative partnerships, and sound management establish the foundations for any community to effectively conduct a program such as the Tulsa Partners / Save the Children Initiative.  The combination of Tulsa Partners’ history of partnership building and emergency management expertise joined with Save the Children’s clear, precise vision for improving children’s well-being and safety before, during and after disasters was integral to developing guidelines for communities around the United States to further include children and their support networks in emergency planning. The objective has been to develop, test, and offer ideas that can inspire other communities to take action to assist children in the time of disaster. It is ultimately a community initiative that will help prepare children and their support networks to help keep children safe and secure.

IAEM’s Pediatric Focus. IAEM regularly helps its members be aware of the special needs of children in disasters.  In its Bulletin newsletter, there is monthly content ranging from information about programs such as DHS’s Ready Kids campaign at www.ready.gov to material including profiles of successful local EM programs such as Montgomery County, Maryland’s "VIP Kids for USA" (VIP = Vigilant, Informed and Prepared), regular notifications about pediatric-related disaster resources such as the "Pediatric Disaster Tool Kit: Hospital Guidelines for Pediatrics During Disasters" .

IAEM is a non-profit professional organization representing 4,300+ emergency management and homeland security professionals for local communities, state and federal disaster officials, private sector, non-governmental organizations and others involved in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from all types of disasters including acts of terrorism.  IAEM provides access to the largest network of emergency management experts who can provide advice and assistance; the Certified Emergency Manager program; annual scholarships; a comprehensive monthly newsletter; and more.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.