Disaster Preparedness in the USA for Kids

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America Remains Unprepared to Protect Children

Ten years after the September 11th attacks on U.S. soil, Save the Children found that most states still fail to plan ahead for the safety of children in the case of a disaster.

September 11th forever altered the way American families define safety and security in their lives. Yet a decade and a series of devastating hurricanes, wildfires, and tornadoes later, two-thirds of the country remains without basic preparedness and safety standards for children in schools and child care during disaster.

On any given day in the United States, 67 million children are in school or child care, where parents place their trust in their children's safety, not knowing whether those facilities have rules and systems in place to reunite families and protect children when disaster strikes.

For the fourth year, Save the Children's U.S. Programs National Report Card graded all 50 states and the District of Columbia on four criteria of preparedness: Does the state require a child care evacuation plan? Is there a required plan to notify parents and reunite families after disaster? Do the evacuation requirements account for children with special needs? And does the state require a multi-hazard emergency plan for schools?

"Live from the Field" with Mark Shriver
Listen to Mark Shriver, our Senior VP, U.S. Programs, discuss key Repord Card findings
(Sep 2011)

• Five new states—Connecticut, Kentucky, New York, Tennessee and West Virginia—now meet all four basic preparedness standards, bringing the total to 17 states.
• Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia failed to meet all four basic preparedness standards.
• Six states do not require any of the four basic disaster safety and preparedness standards for licensed child care facilities or schools, stranding children in times of emergency.

Donate to the U.S. Emergencies Fund You can help Save the Children make a difference in the lives of children affected by disasters in the United States. By contributing to the U.S. Emergencies Fund, you enable us to serve children through disaster planning, preparedness, response and recovery work.
Please help today.

Does your kid's child care facility or school have a plan for disasters? Use Save the Children's check list to ask your child's day care, pre-school and school personnel:

"Are you prepared to protect children in case of a disaster?"

FOR CHILDREN IN CHILD CARE:

• Do you have a written plan for evacuating and moving kids to a safe location in the event of disasters?
• Do you have a written plan to notify me of an emergency and reunite me with my children?
• Do you have a written plan that accounts for kids with special needs?

FOR CHILDREN IN K-12 SCHOOLS:

• Do you have a disaster plan that accounts for multiple disasters?

Download Save the Children's check list to use when talking to your child care facility or school.