Children and Disasters

Children represent nearly 25 percent of our population. Consider that on any given weekday, 6.7 million children are in schools and child care, a time when children are most vulnerable because they are away from their families. Yet, only a handful of States require basic school evacuation and family reunification plans. The Strategic National Stockpile, intended to provide the public with medicine and medical supplies in the event of a public health emergency, is woefully under-stocked with medical countermeasures for children. This book examines existing capabilities that can and should be built upon to integrate children into preparedness, planning, response, and recovery. Meeting the needs of children in disaster planning and management is a national responsibility lacking not only sufficient funding, but also a pervasive concern, a sustained will to act, and a unifying force.