Ready for Anything: A Disaster Planning Manual for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
What are the demographics of the young people I serve?
Understanding the demographics of the young people you serve will help you begin to understand the unique needs of your disaster plan. Jot down your answers to the following questions:
- Are you running an emergency shelter with a population that is constantly changing, or a transitional living program where the youth remain for a year or more?
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- How many youth are present in your facility at any given time?
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- Is your population mixed gender or single-sex?
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- Does your population include single mothers and their children?
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- Does your population include special-needs youth?
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Are you running an emergency shelter with a population that is constantly changing, or a transitional living program where the youth remain for a year or more?
The transient nature of an emergency shelter population means that you will likely not be able to get your young people involved in disaster planning. Instead, you (and your staff) will need to develop a fully realized plan, and then reduce its components to a series of “quick guides” that can be quickly distributed and easily understood. Possible formats for these quick guides might include flash cards, pocket guides, and quick reference lists. These quick guides should be included with the orientation materials you hand out.
With transitional living youth, who can stay in residence for a year or more, you should conduct disaster training and drills. You might also consider involving them in the planning process.
How many youth are present in your facility at any given time?
The size of your population affects every aspect of disaster planning. Since it’s
impossible to anticipate exactly how many youth will be present onsite during a disaster, plan for your maximum occupancy.
Is your population mixed gender or single-sex?
If you have a mixed-gender population and must evacuate, how will you handle the need for separate sleeping spaces at your evacuation site?
Does your population include single mothers and their children?
An evacuation plan must take into account transportation and livable space for young children or infants. If you are forced to take shelter in your facility, you must also have an adequate stockpile of appropriate supplies (see “What supplies and resources do I need?”).
Does your population include special-needs youth?
Special needs can refer to any number of unique issues present among the young people you serve. If, for example, you have a youth with hearing disabilities, your alarms should be equipped with strobe lights. You may have youth who require a wheelchair or other physical accommodations. You may also have youth with language barriers, strict dietary requirements, or ongoing medical needs, such as daily insulin injections. (See Appendix I for an emergency power planning checklist for people who use electricity and battery dependent assistive technology and medical devices.)
Moving on
Return to the list of questions you answered earlier. Take some time to jot down your concerns and ideas.
What are the physical attributes of my facility? >> |
