Preparedness planning for children and disasters

Background: Children are a highly vulnerable segment of the population in times of disaster. Under normal conditions, there are components at the governmental, private and non-profit level which together form the networks on which children depend to support their development and protect them from harm. Children, who are generally incapable of managing their own needs, can suffer disproportionately and may fall behind their peers in development. The physical and psychological damage sustained by children can far outweigh the same effects inflicted on fully grown members of society, often requiring years of physical, psychological and other therapy to address. Proper planning and partnerships can help mitigate the effects of an incident on this vulnerable population. Methods: The Florida Department of Health hosts a state-level coalition supporting the needs of children during all phases of disaster planning, response and recovery. The Florida Children's Preparedness Coalition includes agency leads, non-governmental organizations, and regionally-focused response coalitions. An online toolkit was developed as a forum to share best practices and training aids. Results: Collaboration increased among agencies and organizations that would be involved in a coordinated response to assist children in disasters. Communities have tools to help them plan for the needs of children prior to an event or incident. Conclusions: Working collaboratively with coalitions provides an effective means of sharing tools and planning for the multi-faceted needs of children in the whole community. Pre-planning with partners potentially reduces the challenges faced by local emergency management officials in the face of a disaster affecting children.