Five Years After Katrina, Many States Still Unprepared To Protect Children During Disasters
Almost five years after Hurricane Katrina, a new Save the Children report reveals that many states still do not have basic measures in place for protecting children in disasters.
The report is the second disaster preparedness report released by Save the Children’s U.S. Programs. The 2010 year report found that 38 states and the District of Columbia did not meet all four basic standards and seven states met none of the standards.
During Hurricane Katrina:
- 5,192 children were reported missing after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the last child was not found until six months later.
- About 50,000 Louisiana and Mississippi children missed school in the 2005-2006 school year and approximately 15,000 did not attend in the 2006-2007 school year.
- More than a third of Louisiana children experienced clinically diagnosed depression, anxiety or another behavior disorder after the storm.
“Five years after Hurricane Katrina, it is unacceptable for states to ignore these low-cost and common-sense safeguards for kids,” said Mark Shriver, Save the Children U.S. Programs' senior vice president, in a press release. “There are 67 million kids in school or child care on any given day in the United States, separated from their families and dependent on the government to ensure protections.”
The report reviewed four key standards: plans for evacuation, reunification with families and evacuation for special needs kids at child care facilities, as well as evacuation plans at schools.
Currently, 12 states meet all four standards: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Mexico, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
The worst-performing states according to the study are Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Michigan, Montana and Wyoming.
These states have met none of the criteria.
The report is available at http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/reports/2010-Disaster-Report.pdf