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Children are a disaster 'priority'
Although Hurricanes Katrina and Rita crashed into the
Gulf Coast more than nine months ago, images of frightened children are
still vivid.
Day after day, we saw children being airlifted from
rooftops and from flooded streets. An estimated 5,000 children were
reported missing or displaced to the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children. In some cases, it took months before these children
were finally reunited with their families. We saw anxious parents
standing in line for hours in over 90-degree heat to get food, water and
help, with crying toddlers clinging to their legs. We saw babies going
hungry. We watched from our homes and from our living rooms, but we
could do very little.
And there were things that we could not see. Once the
rain ceased, the winds calmed and the levees were plugged, children
remained in crisis. The youngest were left without support as more than
400 child care centers were destroyed. Older children - nearly 400,000
of them - were unable to attend classes when their battered schools
closed. Children huddled in tent cities bored, lonely and scared. They
had no space to play and no way to cope with all they had seen and
heard. This should not have been and it should never again be.
Hurricane season is upon us once more, and forecasters
expect that 2006 will be another very active storm period. Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita demonstrated quite clearly, and quite painfully, that
we do not effectively anticipate or accommodate children's unique needs
in emergencies. As the storms approach, how can we make sure that they
are not forgotten the next time?
U.S. Sens. Thad Cochan, R- Miss., and Mary Landreiu,
D-La., have introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing the sense of
Congress that FEMA, when it is designing disaster preparedness,
response, recovery and mitigation plans, should consult with
child-focused, non-governmental organizations with experience in
addressing the needs of children. Indeed, in her report to the president
on the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, Special Assistant to the
President Frances Townsend acknowledged that children were a segment of
the population that required specialized programs since they are among
the most vulnerable in a disaster.
It is unbelievable that this country's disaster
management system has never made the needs of children a priority in
emergency response or involved child protection experts in the emergency
planning process, but sadly it is true. Our country's emergency managers
should look for help from organizations that have domestic and
international experience and expertise on how to address the unique
needs of children.
For example, for decades, in developing nations and
throughout the world, Save the Children has worked with government
officials to ensure that local evacuation plans help children and
families stay together. We have provided children with safe play spaces
in emergency shelters and refugee camps.
We have ensured that temporary quarters have special
areas where parents can take care of their newborn babies safely. We
have offered appropriate in-school programs to help children cope with
their fears and anxieties, and we have rebuilt damaged schools and
community centers.
After last summer's hurricanes, Save the Children went
to New Orleans and Mississippi - bringing its decades of expertise and
experience home. We trained 800 teachers, counselors and child care
professional to help children cope with anxiety and regain trust. We
provided material and financial support to local children and youth
service organizations to resume or expand after-school programs and,
currently, to operate summer camps.
We are working with Mississippi State University to
restore 33 licensed child care centers and create a resource and
referral system to improve child care services. As we have done abroad,
we have done so much of our work in partnership with local non-profits.
And we are not alone-many other non-governmental organizations are
willing to help.
With this year's hurricane season almost upon us, it
is critical to prepare for future calamities - and, in particular, to
address the needs of children who will be caught up in the crisis.
Enlisting the aid of experts uniquely qualified to offer assistance to
children in areas where federal, state and local authorities are
overwhelmed and under-equipped is something all Americans should
support.
Congress should adopt Sens. Landrieu's and Cochran's
resolution. It sends an important message to our emergency managers and
to our citizens that our children are indeed our priority and that we
will be there for them before, during and after a crisis.
Mark K. Shriver (vice president and managing director
of Save the Children's U.S. Programs)
28 May 2006
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060528/OPINION/605280314/1285.
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