Preparing for disasters involves creating plans, preparing to manage during a disaster, and enhancing critical infrastructure prior to a disaster. In this section find Federal and State resources for both professionals and families to prepare for disasters–both natural (e.g., hurricanes, floods, fires) and human created (e.g., terrorism) disasters, including examples of State disaster plans.
Resources for professionals
Building Capacity for Disaster Preparedness at a Child Welfare Agency
Capacity Building Center for States (2020)
Helps agencies build capacity by offering tools for developing policies and practices to be more flexible and effective in their response to disaster and disaster planning.
Series Title | Factsheets |
Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability | View Download (PDF - 532KB) Order (Free) |
Year Published | 2016 |
Head Start Emergency Preparedness Manual: 2015 Edition (PDF - 997 KB)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start (2015)
Outlines the importance of and methods for designing disaster response systems in child-serving programs.
Author(s) | Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau Cage, Richard.;Salus, Marsha K. |
Availability | View Download (PDF - 1,402KB) |
Year Published | 2010 |
Resources for families
Are You Prepared for Disasters?: Family Readiness Kit (PDF - 5,020 KB)
American Academy of Pediatrics (2016)
Guides parents and guardians in safety planning for natural and man-made disasters, including preparing a kit and developing a family communication plan.
Emergency Preparedness and You
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & American Red Cross (2016)
Provides answers to common questions and step-by-step guidance for public health emergency preparedness for private citizens.
Hurricane: Preparing and Responding to the Needs of Children
Save the Children
Explains key topics for parents to discuss with their children before, during, and after a hurricane.
Prepare, Respond, Recover
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Provides useful information to the general public on how to prepare and recover from man-made and natural disasters.
Ready.gov
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Provides educational materials and instructions designed to help families and children prepare for and respond to natural and man-made disasters.
Ready Wrigley
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016)
Connects to topic-specific activity books designed to prepare children ages 2–8 for natural and man-made disasters.