Report recommends action to improve disaster preparedness for children

Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, the nation has yet to meet 79% of a federal advisory committee’s recommendations to improve disaster preparedness for children, according to a report released today by Save the Children. “In an era when disasters are growing in frequency and impact, these findings indicate that much work remains to be done – both by Congress and the executive branch – to ensure children are protected when crisis strikes,” the authors say. The report reviews the status of 2010 recommendations by the National Commission on Children and Disasters in areas ranging from disaster management and recovery to physical and mental health, emergency medical services, case management, education, housing and evacuation. “In passing the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Reauthorization Act of 2013, Congress took a critical step in addressing the commission’s extensive health recommendations,” the report states. As a result, the Department of Health and Human Services last year convened the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters to advise the agency on children’s disaster-related medical and public health needs, the report adds. With respect to hospital preparedness, the report recommends requiring in state funding that recipient hospitals include pediatric emergency readiness and neonatal intensive care in their emergency disaster plans.