Responding to Disasters and Threats to Service Continuity

During a disaster the important tasks are managing the workload; assessing and responding to client needs; supporting staff; managing volunteers; and coordinating, communicating, and assessing information systems. In this section find resources on responding to the immediate aftermath of disasters or major emergencies.

Community Emergency Response Teams
Describes the Community Emergency Response Team program, which educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills.

Coping With Disaster
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (2017)
Offers age-specific information about the ways in which children may respond to disasters, including resources for helping children cope with sudden changes.

Disaster Preparedness & Recovery
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Provides a catalog of materials to help professionals and the general public prepare for disasters and recover in the aftermath.

Post-Disaster Reunification of Children: A Nationwide Approach (PDF - 1,100 KB)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, American Red Cross, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (2013)
Discusses the ways in which communities can be involved to promote the coordination of processes procedures to reunify children and their parents or legal guardians following large-scale natural disasters.

Promoting Adjustment and Helping Children Cope
American Academy of Pediatrics (2017)
Provides specific resources to enable pediatricians and other service providers to identify potential problems and promote coping strategies among children following a disaster.

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