Resources by Topic
Emergency Planning Guide for Child-Serving Organizations
Recommended Links on Emergency Planning
We have reviewed the following recommended links to ensure that they include information that is relevant to child-serving organizations, represents current standards in the field, and communicates information clearly. We aim to save you time by assembling in one place the best resources on emergency planning and information on disasters and to also add value by having experts in the field review the references so that you can easily find top quality information.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Resources on Emergency Planning
A list of the best resources with information to help you prepare for emergencies.
Information on Disasters
More resources to help you prepare for emergencies, organized according to three types of disasters:
Natural Disasters
Avalanche, Drought, Earthquake, Fire (forest or wildfire), Flooding/Dam or levee failure, Heat, Hurricane, Landslide/Subsidence, Snow storm/Severe winter weather, Thunderstorms, Tornado, Tsunami, Volcano
Human-Caused Incidents
Arson or structure fire, Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear attack, Gun violence, Hostage crisis, Terrorism/Internal disturbance, Utility disruption
Environmental/Biological Disasters
Air quality, Biological, Epidemic/Pandemic, Food-borne illness, Hazardous materials spill, Water contamination
Use the links at the right to jump directly to information for each of the sub-topics in these three main categories.
Resources on Emergency Planning
There are many different models available to help child-serving organizations prepare for emergencies, though no "one-size-fits-all" model exists that will prepare every type of organization for every type of emergency. We reviewed many of them and have posted links below to several that we found to be most comprehensive, recent, and developed by national organizations. Many of the planning activities recommended throughout this guide were obtained from these resources.
American Red Cross Safety Checklists
Safety checklists are available in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese) for a wide range of emergencies including Coping with Shelter-in-Place Emergencies, Earthquakes, Fires, Floods, Flu, Heat Waves, Home Pool and Hot Tub Maintenance and Safety, Hurricanes, Landslides, Oil Spills, Power Outages, Safety for Swimming Safely in Lakes, Rivers and Streams, Thunderstorms, Tornados, Tsunamis, Wild Fires and Winter Storms.
See the checklists at the Red Cross website
CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response Resources
Provides information on general preparedness for natural disasters and severe weather as well as specific hazards including bioterrorism, mass casualties, chemical emergencies, radiation emergencies, and outbreaks of illness.
See the resources at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website
Coping with Disasters and Strengthening Systems: A Framework for Child Welfare Agencies — 2007
Comprehensive guide useful for planning for wide range of emergencies. Includes a basic template to create a family disaster plan. Developed by the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NRCOI), a service of the Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Read the guide at the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine website
Disaster Preparedness Resource Guide for Child Welfare Agencies — 2009
Step-by-step guide for preparing child-serving agencies for emergencies. Includes links to additional resources for every major planning step.
Emergency Preparedness Posters for Tornado or Severe Weather; Utility Disruption; Potentially Violent Situation; Chemical, Biological, or Hazardous Material; Earthquake; Flooding; Fire
Single-page posters highlighting the most critical preparedness and response actions to take in each type of emergency.
Enhancing Public Health Emergency Preparedness for Special Needs Populations: A Toolkit for State and Local Planning and Response — 2009
Experiences from recent emergencies, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, have shown that current emergency preparedness plans are inadequate to address the unique issues of special needs populations. This toolkit is meant to assist state and local public health agencies improve their emergency preparedness activities. It distills the most relevant strategies, practices, and resources from a variety of sources, including peer-reviewed research, government reports, the trade literature, and public health leaders, to identify priority populations and critical strategies. The contents include potential strategies for addressing special needs, summaries of promising practices implemented in communities across the country, information on how to select one or more practices that will work in a specific community, information on how to determine whether a practice is working, and a Web-based Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tool to identify and enumerate those with special needs in communities across the United States. Used together, this toolkit and the GIS tool are intended to provide a comprehensive resource to enable public health planners to account for special needs populations in their emergency preparedness efforts.
Read the report at the RAND Corporation website
National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides resources for Natural Disasters
Resources include the Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide, an evidence-informed approach for assisting survivors of disaster and terrorism, online speaker series with CEUs available, and disaster-specific information on earthquakes, epidemics, fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis.
National Commission on Children and Disasters: 2010 Report to the President and Congress — Oct. 2010
This report provides a look at the state of federal preparedness for children and disasters. It offers specific findings and recommendations relating to: 1) child physical health, mental health, and trauma; 2) child care in all settings; 3) child welfare; 4) elementary and secondary education; 5) sheltering, temporary housing, and affordable housing; 6) transportation; 7) juvenile justice; 8) evacuation; and 9) relevant activities in emergency management. The Commission also provides specific recommendations for administrative actions, policies, regulations, and legislative changes related to disaster preparedness for children.
Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities — 2007
Comprehensive planning resource for schools. Includes preparedness planning examples from schools across the United States, and links to state- and national-level preparedness resources.
Protecting Children in Child Care During Emergencies: Recommended State and National Regulatory and Accreditation Standards for Family Child Care Homes and Child Care Centers and Supporting Rationale — Dec. 2010
This guide is designed to help local and state licensing organizations and child care accrediting agencies establish emergency response standards for child care programs. Developed by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) and Save the Children, Domestic Emergencies Unit.
Ready for Anything: A Disaster Planning Manual for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
Comprehensive planning model with particular focus on runaway and homeless youth, though also relevant for residential and non-residential child-serving agencies. Includes templates for disaster response plan, emergency supply maintenance and testing lists, staff contact lists, and sample agreements for other organizations to provide transportation and shelter.
Sample Emergency Planning Forms from National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) — 2006
Sample forms excerpted from the NACCRRA document, Is Child Care Ready?: A Disaster Planning Guide for Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.
See the sample forms at the NACCRRA website
Information on Disasters
NATURAL DISASTERS
Avalanche
Avalanche Risk Recognition and Preparation
Avalanche Triggers and Risks
Avalanche Safety Online Tutorial
Overview of Avalanche Triggers, Settings, Preparedness, and Survival
Drought
Drought Mitigation
Definition of Drought
Characteristics of Drought
The Impacts of Drought
Water Saving Measures for Child Care Centers During Emergency Water Restrictions
Earthquake
FAQs for Earthquake Preparedness — Preparedness, During, and After Earthquake
Creating and Practicing an Earthquake Plan
Preparation, Response During, and Recovering After Earthquakes
Preparing Children for an Earthquake
Earthquake Background and Preparedness for Homes and Families
Guide for Teachers: Preparing Students for an Earthquake
Earthquake Preparedness Guide for Childcare Providers
Fire (forest or wildfire)
Wildfire Preparedness for Homes and Families
Wildfire Overview: Preparation and Recovery After a Wildfire
Preparation, Response During, and Recovering After Wildfires — for Homes and Families
Wildfire Background, Mitigation, and Response During a Fire
Wildfire Preparation and Response for Homes and Families
Wildfire Preparation, Response, and Recovery for Children and Families
Acute Health Risks for Children During Wildfires
Influenza and Other Contagious Disease — Information about Influenza
Overview of Infectious Diseases
Flooding / Dam or Levee Failure
Flood Preparedness, Response, and Recovery for Families and Homes
Flood Plan and Kit Preparedness for Families
Flood Preparedness and Recovery
Flood Preparation and Recovery for Households
Flash Flood Recovery and Clean-up Resources
Preventing Flood Damage at Homes
EPA Children's Health in the Aftermath of Floods
Heat
Extreme Heat Overview: Preparedness and Health Effects
Extreme Health Plan and Kit Preparedness for Families
Extreme Heat Protection for Households
Extreme Heat Preparedness and Response for Individuals and Households
Extreme Heat Preparedness and Health Risks for Children and Pregnant Women
Extreme Heat-Related Illness Prevention and Response for Community Care Facilities
Extreme Heat Protection Guidelines for Day Care Providers
Sun Protection of Children
Extreme Heat-Related Illness Prevention in Schools
Exertional Heat-Related Illness in Youth
Hurricane
Hurricane Plan and Kit Preparedness for Families
Hurricane Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Hurricane Preparedness
Hurricane Preparedness Guide
Hurricane Hazards and Preparedness
Landslide / Subsidence
Landslide Background, Mitigation, and Response
Landslide Warning Signs, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Landslide Preparedness and Response Checklist
Landslide Preparedness and Response
Landslide Preparedness for Households
Snow Storm / Severe Winter Weather
Winter Storm Preparedness and Response
Winter Storm Plan and Kit Preparedness for Families
Winter Storm Preparedness, Response, and Health Risks
Winter Storm Preparedness and Response
Thunderstorms
Severe Thunderstorms
Thunderstorm Preparedness
Thunder Storm Preparedness and Response
Thunderstorm and Lightning Background and Protection
Tornado
Tornado Plan and Kit Preparedness for Families
Tornado Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Tornado Background and Safety for Families and Schools
Tornado Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Tornado Safety for Families, Schools, and the Workplace
Tornado Preparedness for Childcare Centers
Tornado Impact, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery for Children and Families
Tsunami
Tsunami Background and Preparedness
Tornado Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Tsunami Health Effects
Volcano
Volcano Overview and Preparedness
Volcano Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Volcano Overview, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Volcano Preparedness and Response
Volcano Preparedness
Volcano Preparedness and Response
HUMAN-CAUSED INCIDENTS
Arson or Structure Fire
Wildfire Arson Preparedness and Prevention Guide
Arson Recognition and Prevention for Communities
Children and Fire Overview
Arson Awareness Week Prevention Information and Related Links
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Attack
Chemical, Radiological, Nuclear, and Biological Terrorist Attack Preparedness and Response Guide
Chemical Terrorism-Related Illness Recognition and Response
Chemical Threat Recognition and Response
Chemical and Biological Terrorism Preparedness and Response
Biological Threat Recognition and Response
Biological Terrorism Impacts on Children and Preparedness for Pediatricians
EPA's Environmental Preparedness and Response Plans
Nuclear Power Plant Radiation Threat Preparedness
Preparedness for Radiological Emergencies
Nuclear Threat Recognition and Response
Nuclear Threat References
Gun Violence
Gun Violence Prevention in Schools
Review of Gun Violence Among Children and Youth
Hostage Crisis
Hostage Situation Safety Instructions for Individuals Being Held Hostage
Terrorism / Internal Disturbance
Terrorism Preparedness Plans and Response for Households
Terrorism Threat Types Overview
Ten Terrorism Preparedness Steps
Utility Disruption
Utility Disruption: Power Outage Response: Food and Water Safety, and Extreme Temperature Risks
Power Outage Preparedness and Response
Utility Disruption Tips Video
ENVIRONMENTAL / BIOLOGICAL DISASTERS
Air Quality
Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools
Causes of Indoor Air Quality Problems and Their Health Risks
Indoor Air Quality Issues for Child Care Facilities Guide
Biological
Overview of Biological Agents and Preparedness FAQ
Biological Threat Recognition and Response
Epidemic / Pandemic
Infectious Disease and Children Guide for Early Child Care Providers
Food-borne Illness and Dangerous Exposure
Food-borne Illness Overview: Prevention, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
English and Spanish Information on Food-borne Illness
Child-Specific Exposures Handbook: Summary of Statistical Data
Hazardous Materials Spill
Hazardous Materials Spill Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Hazardous Chemicals Overview: Types of Chemicals, Specific Chemical Descriptions, and Protection from Chemical Hazards
Water Contamination
Water Contamination
Safe Food and Drinking Water Guidelines During and After an Emergency