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Meeting Places: Child Reunification Center


The Child Reunification Center (CRC) is a critical meeting place in any community where there are children and schools. The purpose of such a center is to take care of children separated from their families by a disaster that happens when they are in school or in a day care, aftercare, or other program.


A CRC requires a lot of advance planning and collaboration with public and private schools, day cares, and after-care facilities and programs. It can be time consuming to get everyone on board with a telescoping plan of caring for children post-disaster, then transporting them for longer-term care, and finally getting the last children reunited with their families. Without getting buy-in on such a plan, the CRC will not work. As you pursue this plan, you can rely on shorter-term strategies, like getting the facilities themselves to plan for caring for children post-disaster (and stocking needed supplies).


How a CRC Works


Ideally, once you have achieved buy-in, a CRC works like this: When disaster strikes, the school, day care, aftercare, or other program will care for the children in attendance for the first 48 hours. But after that period, school and program staff will take any children still not reunited with their families to the CRC where they will be cared for until they are picked up by parents, guardians, or other parent-approved adults.


This means that all child-care facilities, ranging from schools to sports programs, need to have supplies and staff to care for many children for a short time. The CRC needs to have supplies and staff to care for fewer children for an indefinite amount of time.

At the CRC, children can receive interim medical care provided by the Medical Reserve Corps, psychological first aid provided by the PFA team, and meals and care provided by the CRT, all members of which will have gone through background checks and training.


Household Plan


Like all community-wide plans, this one begins with the foundation at the Household and Street Levels. At the Household Level, preparation consists of a few supplies and a plan.


Step 1. Meet with your children to talk about emergencies. Ask them where they think a good meeting spot should be right outside the home if you all need to escape your home immediately. Ask them where they think you should meet in your community if you are not all at home when a disaster hits.


Step 2. Make a bird’s-eye drawing of your home and mark all exits and your nearby meeting spot.


Step 3. Agree on a list of people your children should call if you are not at home or injured.


Step 4. Provide your children’s schools and care facilities with a list of adults approved to pick them up if you can’t. Ensure these adults are listed on all school documents requiring them. These adults should be familiar to your kids, and you kids need to feel comfortable with them. Ideally, they will be adults who live near you.


Step 5. Notify the adults on the list what to do and when. If a disaster strikes, and they don’t hear from you, for example, that might be the time they activate. 


Step 6. Complete a family reunification card. The card will provide all relevant contact info. on approved adults.


Step 7. At the start of each school year, pack a small emergency kit for your child to keep in their backpack or at their desk. All should fit in a quart size zippered plastic bag or pouch. 


Essential Supplies


  • Water (emergency water pouches)


  • Protein snacks or granola bars (be mindful of food allergies)


  • Small first aid kit


  • Emergency blanket

  • Small flashlight


  • Surgical Mask/KN95/N95


  • Family reunification card 


  • Family photo (this helps with family identification and reunification)


Optional Items


  • Extra health-related items your child uses


  • Comfort item (small stuffed animal or toy)


  • Chapstick and antibacterial hand sanitizer


  • Wipes


Street Plan


Neighbors on a Ready Street (that has gone through the Ready Your Street program) can help one another with post-disaster child care. You can make a plan to watch out for one another’s kids in the event any of you is not at home when disaster strikes. Plan to pick up other families’ kids from school if they are unable.

If kids, pets, or older adults who need help might be home alone when disaster strikes, consider including them in your Street plan too. Neighbors can check in on one another’s homes to make sure people and animals are okay.


Neighborhood Plan


Displaced children and pets who have no one at home to help and can’t be cared for by neighbors can be taken to the local Disaster Hub. There, volunteers will help facilitate reunification.


Community Plan


In preparation for a major disaster, the Child Safety and Reunification Team assists residents and organizations in developing plans for 24/7 care for unaccompanied minors. They guide families in preparing family reunification plans and help schools and youth organizations outline their procedures in case of an emergency. They're also responsible for the establishment and upkeep of the Child Reunification Center.


Step 1. Identify potential locations for the center. Ideally, this will be a school building.


Step 2. Meet with the facility administrators to explain needs and discuss terms. Buy-in from child care centers and parks departments is also crucial and adds legitimacy. 


Step 3. Create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with one main location and a backup location.


Step 4. Create a Child Safety and Reunification Team.


Step 5. Train volunteers.


Step 6. Write grants and fundraise to purchase supplies.


Step 7. Begin to gather supplies.


Step 8. Store supplies in trailers on the property site.


Step 9. Educate the public about the CRC, about preparing their kids, and about identifying alternate adults for picking up their children in the event of an emergency. 


Step 10. Write Scope of Practice for volunteers.


Step 11. Write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Center,


Step 12. Conduct drills on site.


Gear & Supplies


Administration


  • Permanent markers


  • Pens and pencils


  • Adhesive tape


  • Duct tape


  • Paper


  • Scissors


  • Stapler and staples


  • Staple gun and staples


  • Tyvek bracelets for identification of students/kids and special needs


  • Class lists updated 2x/year and stored in hard copy and on flash drive in locked, fire- and waterproof box


  • Team procedures and protocols provided by principal or admin.


  • Colored sticky dots for use on student ID bracelets to signify dietary restrictions, medications, any siblings, etc.


  • Student release forms 


  • Radios with extra batteries and 2–4 chargers 


  • Caution tape


  • 5 x 8 index cards


First Aid

Check Items Notes

  • First aid manual


  • Prescription life-saving medications as needed by specific students (at least a 3-day supply)


  • Documentation required by facility provided by principal or admin. 


  • Student medical/prescription information as provided to the school.


  • 2 headlamps for use when power is out.


  • Lights and extra batteries (pen lights, headlamps, glow sticks, flashlights)

  • Nitrile gloves in various sizes for personal protection


  • Aprons or disposable hospital gowns 


  • Safety goggles or face shields 


  • Tweezers for splinter care


  • Scissors for cutting tape and gauze


  • Thermometer and covers


  • AED with adult and pediatric pads


  • CPR disposable pocket masks


  • Safety razor to remove hair prior to application of AED pads


  • QuickClot for large wounds and for bloody noses (this is a hemostatic agent that helps clot blood. A version that is impregnated in gauze for packing wounds is recommended.


  • Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT) for stopping major bleeding on limbs. 


  • Sharpie marker to mark start time on tourniquet.


  • Hyfin Chest seal pair for sealing penetrating chest wounds.


  • Rolled gauze (multiple rolls) for packing wounds.


  • Steri-Strip wound closures for closing minor cuts.


  • Medical shears to cut off clothing for CPR or wound exposure.


  • Compression bandages to stop bleeding on areas that can’t use a tourniquet (per Stop the Bleed protocols).


  • Abdominal bandages for wound care.


  • Gauze pads in various sizes for wound care.


  • Self-adhering bandage rolls (Coband) for wound care.


  • Stop the Bleed poster guidance.


  • Stop the Bleed kits.


  • SAM splints for limb stabilization.


  • Gauze rolls for limb stabilization.


  • Triangular bandages for limb stabilization.


  • Soft collar neck brace for neck stabilization.


  • Burn gel for burns.


  • Eye wash for eye care.


  • Eye pads for eye care.


  • Irrigation tray with syringe and swabs for disinfection.


  • Simply Saline wound wash for disinfection.


  • Betadine for disinfection.


  • Antibiotic ointment for disinfection.


  • Benadryl oral tablets for allergic reactions (have in adult and child dosages).


  • Benadryl anti-itch cream for allergic reactions of skin.


  • Ibuprofen 


  • Acetaminophen 


  • Aspirin chewable tables (81 mg): Use 4 tablets for a suspected heart attack.

 

  • Pepto-Bismol Chewable Tablets for upset stomach in adult and child dosages.


  • Pedialyte for rehydration in adults and children.


  • Stretcher or patient litter (x 2) to transport nonambulatory patients


Sanitation/Hygiene


  • Feminine hygiene products (tampons and pads) as needed, according to grade level


  • Diapers (in different sizes for young children) 


  • Soap


  • Hand-washing station: Biodegradable soap, 5-gallon buckets, paper towels


  • Wet wipes 


  • Tissues 


  • Disposable toothbrushes and toothpaste 


  • Emesis bags 


  • Hand sanitizer 


  • Heavy-duty plastic sheeting and dropcloths 


  • Biohazard waste disposal bags for disposal of medical waste and body fluids


  • Sharps container for disposal of needles 


  • Bleach and/or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes for disinfection and cleaning


  • Heavy-duty trash bags for disposal and cleaning


  • 5-gallon buckets for medical waste and body fluids


  • Paper towel rolls for sanitation 


Basic Needs


  • Food: 3 meals a day per person (include volunteers) and snacks


  • Water: 1 gallon per person per day


Comfort


  • Apple sauce packets 


  • Ice packs


  • Hand warmers


  • Paper drinking cups for hydration


  • 5-gallon water container for hydration


  • Cots for patients needing to recline


  • Blankets to keep patients warm


Miscellaneous


  • Do Not Enter (red) and Caution (yellow) tape


  • Triage tape set Red, yellow, green, black


Training 


Volunteers staffing the CRC need the following trainings:


  1. CPR/AED 


  1. Stop the Bleed


  1. FEMA IS-100


Also, make sure volunteers are familiar with the contents of the gear/supplies kits.


Assembling a Team


Girl scouts are a great resource for CS&R. Many are already trained in CPR, wilderness first response, and PFA. Getting older children involved in volunteer response can empower them and mitigate post-disaster mental health symptoms for both them and the younger kids. It also takes some of the burden off of the higher-ranking volunteers. 


Involving Girl Scout organizations in your area can add legitimacy to your emerging CSC. Also try to involve kids from 4H.


Choosing a Facility


American legion halls and similar buildings can be used for gathering as an alternative to schools. Facilities with a centralized entry point and controlled exits are ideal.


Schools are a good choice because of the separation of rooms and kitchen access. In earthquake country, buildings need to be assessed for how seismically safe they are. In areas with flooding, avoid buildings in floodplains. In areas with landslides, avoid buildings that are on or right below bluffs or cliffs. In tsunami-vulnerable communities, choose facilities that are located at higher elevations. 


Finally, look for buildings that are centrally located and easy for people to get to. 


Post-Disaster Activation


After disaster hits, your volunteers will begin reporting to the CRC and setting it up. See Disaster Hubs SOP for the steps.


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