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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – The National Commission on Children and Disasters has partnered with the American Red Cross to develop a set of standards to address children’s needs in emergency shelters. The shelter standards are being made available to American Red Cross shelter managers, staff and volunteers throughout this hurricane season, and other local agencies that manage emergency shelters.
“Sheltering children in times of disaster requires unique considerations and careful planning,” said Mark K. Shriver, Chairperson of the Commission. “The Commission and the American Red Cross share a mutual goal of providing children with a shelter environment that includes age-appropriate support and access to essential resources, such as food, water, clothing, health and mental health services, and temporary respite care.”
“As a leading mass care organization in the United States, safe sheltering for everyone is an unwavering commitment of the Red Cross Disaster Services program,” said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President of Disaster Services for the American Red Cross. “Each year a large number of our shelter residents are children under the age of 18 and we’re especially sensitive to providing appropriate recovery resources to help families and children. Our relationship with the National Commission on Children and Disasters is a great example of how partners collaborate to address the needs of children after a disaster.”
The Commission also worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters in developing the document.
“These standards are just a starting point and will be improved upon as we receive feedback from the field,” said Shriver. “We are also sharing the standards with local emergency managers and ultimately will urge that they be practiced nationally by all shelter operators.
www.childrenanddisasters.acf.hhs.gov
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