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Congress Recognizes Children's Needs in Disasters
Washington, DC (December 20, 2007) — Just in time for the holidays, Congress has taken a critical step toward ensuring children's needs are met during the next major disaster.
Congress has passed the Kids in Disasters Well-being, Safety and Health (WISH) Act of 2007, which will create a National Commission on Children and Disasters. The panel of experts will recommend changes federal, state and local governments need to make to meet the needs of children in emergency planning, response and recovery efforts. Save the Children led a coalition of nonprofit organizations in advocating for the legislation and mobilizing support.
"While it is second nature to say 'women and children first,' when a disaster strikes, children's needs often come last," said Mark K. Shriver, Vice President and Managing Director of Save the Children's US Programs. "Too many communities lack sufficient stockpiles of formula, diapers, pediatric medications and child-sized respirators, let alone the mental health services that have been so critical for children recovering from Hurricane Katrina and other disasters."
A Government Accountability Office study of state child welfare agencies found that only 20 states report having written disaster plans for children. Only a few of those specifically addressed problems related to the evacuation of children and families.
"By passing the Kids WISH Act, Congress has acknowledged the national gaps in emergency planning for children and called on experts from all fields of emergency response to develop a plan that will ensure America's children are not forgotten," said Shriver. "The Senate and House sponsors of the bill, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and Representative Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), and all the supporters of this critical legislation, should be commended for their commitment to ensuring we are fully prepared to care for our most vulnerable citizens in times of disaster."
