National Commission on Children and Disasters. 2010 Report to the ...

Office (GAO) asserted that children would be better protected if State and local disaster
plans incorporated child welfare, education, and other agencies that serve children. 16 The
<strong>Commission</strong> believes that integrating these State and local agencies and facilities in State
and local planning efforts is essential to ensure that States and communities are prepared to
address the needs of children.
The <strong>Commission</strong> recommended in its Interim Report that children’s needs be addressed in
relevant target capabilities, preparedness training, and exercises, with specific target
outcomes and performance measures. 17 FEMA intends to integrate children’s issues into the
2011 <strong>National</strong> Level Exercise (NLE). 18 The concept for the NLE is a major earthquake within
the New Madrid seismic zone impacting eight Midwest States. 19 Among the overarching
exercise objectives are evacuation and shelter-in-place, mass care (sheltering, feeding, and
related services), medical surge, and long-term recovery. 20 Since no single jurisdiction or
response discipline will be capable of handling an event of this magnitude, the <strong>Commission</strong>
recommends that the NLE test the capabilities of cooperative efforts among jurisdictions and
pre-event mutual aid agreements to address children’s needs, especially in the context of
additional health and mental health care for children and evacuation of unaccompanied
children across State lines. The earthquake in Haiti demonstrated the need to ensure
capabilities around quickly reuniting unaccompanied children with their families and
accommodating a potential surge of orphans resulting from a mass casualty event. 21
Echoing earlier concerns regarding serious gaps in preparedness, the <strong>Commission</strong> also
recommends that exercises test capabilities and training around more common and realistic
events faced by State and local responders, rather than just catastrophic events.
Finally, in order to institute accountability and track national progress toward
implementation of the <strong>Commission</strong>’s recommendations and the improvement of capabilities
for children, Congress should require the Administration to prepare and submit an annual
report on children and disasters to appropriate Congressional committees. Additionally, the
<strong>Commission</strong> recommends that the Executive Branch require relevant agencies to
incorporate measurable goals into their multi-year strategic plans and an evaluation
framework to monitor performance and impact of investments related to children and
disasters, particularly with regard to grant programs.
16 U.S. Government Accountability Office, Gulf Coast Hurricanes: Lessons Learned for Protecting and Educating
Children, GAO-06-680R, (Washington, DC: GAO, 2006), 2, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d06680r.pdf.
17 <strong>National</strong> <strong>Commission</strong> on Children and Disasters, Interim Report, 3.
18 Federal Emergency Management Agency, “FEMA <strong>National</strong> Advisory Council Meeting,” (Washington, DC:
DHS, February 10, 2010), 5, http://www.fema.gov/pdf/about/nac/feb10_11_exec.pdf.
19 Craig Fugate, Statement of Craig Fugate before the U.S. House of Representatives, House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee of Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency
Management, “Post Katrina – What It Takes to Cut Bureaucracy and Assure a More Rapid Response After a
Catastrophic Disaster,” Washington, DC, July 27, 2009, 6,
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/about/testimony/072709_fugate.pdf.
20 Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, "TE&LL Calendar of Events," Training,
Exercises and Lessons Learned Newsletter, August 2010, 1-6.
21 <strong>National</strong> <strong>Commission</strong> on Children and Disasters, “Summary Report: Field Visit, Miami, Florida,” (Washington,
DC; NCCD, 2010), 2, http://www.childrenanddisasters.acf.hhs.gov/Summary_FLFieldVisit_FINAL.pdf.
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NATIONAL COMMISSION ON CHILDREN AND DISASTERS: 2010 REPORT