Youth Preparedness

The REMS TA Center has developed five new online courses for practitioners in the field of K–12 school emergency management that address the following topics: (1) Developing a Bereavement and Loss Annex; (2) Developing a COOP Annex; (3) Developing a Food Contamination Annex; (4) Planning for In

Natural disasters such as flood, fire, earthquake, tornado and windstorm affect thousands of people every year.  You should know what your risks are and prepare to protect yourself, your family and community. Recognizing an impending hazard and knowing what to do to protect yourself and your family will help you take effective steps to prepare beforehand and aid recovery after the event. Some of the things you can do to prepare for the unexpected, such as assembling a supply kit and developing a family emergency plan, are the same for all types of hazards.

The National Preparedness Directorate (NPD) provides the doctrine, programs and resources to prepare the nation to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to and recover from disasters while minimizing the loss of lives, infrastructure and property. NPD is responsible for enhancing the nation’s readiness through a comprehensive preparedness cycle of planning, organizing and equipping, training, exercising, evaluating and improvement planning.

FEMA’s National Emergency Family Registry and Locator System (NEFRLS) is an online, secure system that helps family reunification when individuals are separated during a disaster. It provides a platform for survivors and their loved ones to communicate their location as well as provide a personalized message. A call center is also available to assist people who do not have Internet access.

In conjunction with the NEFRLS, the National Emergency Child Locator Center (NECLC) is operated by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and activated during Presidentially-declared disasters. Its mission is to help locate displaced children and reunite them with their families.  In February 2007, FEMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NCMEC, the American Red Cross, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S.

This document describes the national approach to disaster recovery that focuses on unity and collaboration. The core principles of the approach include individual and family empowerment, leadership and local primacy, pre-disaster recovery planning, partnerships and inclusiveness, public information, unity of effort, timeliness and flexibility, resilience and sustainability, and psychological and emotional recovery.

Practical advice and resources on how to deal with the effects disasters have on physical and mental health, provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Sheltering in place, also known as being in “lockdown,” occurs when local officials request that people stay where they are due to an emergency. This tip sheet describes typical reactions to the stress of sheltering in place and offers ways to cope during, and return to normal activity after, the event. 

Helping kids learn the importance of disaster preparedness is easier through this website, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

This document from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network informs parents of common reactions or symptoms children may have following a traumatic event. It tells parents how to listen to their children and how to help them feel safe. This document addresses self-care and support for parents as well. This resource is also available in Spanish, Ayudando a Niños(as) y Familias a Enfrentarse con el Trauma (PDF, 8 pages).