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

For the purpose of providing more comprehensive data on children to FEMA and its Federal
and non-Federal partners, the <strong>Commission</strong> recommends that FEMA collect information, in
the disaster recovery assistance intake process, identifying the ages of children in an
applicant’s household and any health, mental health, physical, nutritional, and educational
needs. In the current process, FEMA collects information for the purpose of determining
eligibility for FEMA-specific assistance. FEMA does not request specific information on
children and only requires the applicant to indicate the number and type of dependents in
the applicant’s household.
The <strong>Commission</strong> also recommends that FEMA pre-identify and credential additional local
and out-of-State voluntary and non-governmental organizations and networks that provide
disaster assistance to children and families to enable the organizations to obtain access to
the information they need to provide recovery assistance. 33 FEMA had, until recently, shared
limited information with specific voluntary and non-governmental organizations for the
purpose of preventing the duplication of monetary benefits to survivors. FEMA modified its
information sharing policies and procedures to enable sharing of information with
government agencies and members of the <strong>National</strong> Voluntary Organizations Active in
Disaster (NVOAD) or members of FEMA or State-recognized Long Term Recovery
Committees. 34 Other local and out-of-State voluntary and non-governmental organizations
would benefit from access to information that helps them identify survivors in need.
Although FEMA often plays a key role in information collection and sharing, in many cases,
FEMA will not have information on survivor children and families for weeks or months after
a disaster. 35 Therefore, the collection and dissemination of data among State, tribal, local,
and non-governmental agencies is also critical since the initial response in any event will be
handled by local and State agencies.
Finally, the <strong>Commission</strong> determined that, in some instances, schools can be a useful source
for providing immediate information on children and families following a disaster. Upon
request of the <strong>Commission</strong>, ED clarified earlier information-sharing guidance to schools
under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 36 that was issued in response to
questions surrounding the H1N1 influenza pandemic. The updated guidance 37 assists school
officials in determining what information may be shared and with whom in response to
natural and man-made disasters.
33 <strong>National</strong> <strong>Commission</strong> on Children and Disasters, “Progress Report on Children and Disasters: U.S. Agencies
Take Modest Steps to Achieve <strong>Commission</strong> Goals,” 3-4.
34 <strong>National</strong> <strong>Commission</strong> on Children and Disasters, “Meeting Minutes of the Human Services Recovery
Subcommittee,” (Washington, DC: NCCD, March 23, 2010), 2,
http://www.childrenanddisasters.acf.hhs.gov/NCCD%20Subcommittees/20100322_HSRSubcommitteeReport.pdf.
35 Individuals are given 60 days to register for assistance from FEMA following a disaster. Ibid., 2.
36 20 U.S.C. § 1232g (1974).
37 U.S. Department of Education, “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Disclosure of
Student Information Related to Emergencies and Disasters,”
(Washington, DC: ED, June 2010), http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/pdf/ferpa-disaster-guidance.pdf.
28
NATIONAL COMMISSION ON CHILDREN AND DISASTERS: 2010 REPORT