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Save the Children Releases Emergency Management Guide
Free manual helps America's communities prepare for children's needs in disasters.
Westport, Conn. (October 2, 2007) – Save the Children has released a how-to guide that will help emergency management professionals nationwide plan for the needs of children in times of disaster. The first-of-its-kind document, available for free on Save the Children's website, provides an important first step toward standardizing and institutionalizing child safety measures in domestic emergencies.
"Children are highly vulnerable in times of disaster, but too often, their unique needs are overlooked in emergency planning," said J.R. Thomas, National Director of Save the Children's Domestic Emergencies Unit. "Whether you are planning for an evacuation, ordering sheltering supplies or preparing emergency medical services, children's physical, educational and emotional needs must be considered every step of the way. Save the Children hopes this emergency guide will become a critical tool for communities as they are preparing or reviewing their emergency action plans."
The document, which can be found at www.savethechildren.org/usemergency, offers guidance for developing a Children in Emergencies document, suggested assignments for responsibilities and important background information and tools for meeting the needs of children in disasters.
Tips for creating a child-focused planning document include:
- Establish a coordinating committee of all organizations that impact children
- Assist child care facilities and schools integrate their efforts to develop on-site emergency operations plans with local community emergency plans
- Develop an accountability system to identify and track the movement of children within evacuations
- Ensure that all students' educational records are backed up in a safe, offsite location
