Indian Health Service Head Start Program Disaster Planning/Response March 22, 2005

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Indian Health Service Head Start
ProgramDisaster Planning/Response
March 22, 2005

• IHS Head Start Program
• Indian Health Service
• 5300 Homestead, NE
• Albuquerque, NM

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Indian Health Service Head Start Program

• Cheryl A. Wilson Acting Program Director
  Cheryl.wilson_at_ihs.hhs.gov Phone (505)
  248-4368
• Ralph Fulgham Lead Environmental Health
  Specialist Ralph.fulgham_at_ihs.hhs.gov
  Phone [phone]
• Bob Bialas Early Childhood Health Safety
  Specialist Robert.bialas_at_ihs.hhs.gov
  Phone [phone]

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Disasters Happen...

• Chicago Fire 1871
• Oklahoma City Bombing 1995
• Rhode Island Nightclub Fire 2003
• San Francisco Earthquake 1906
• September 11, 2001 Attacks
• Three Mile Island Incident 1979
• Space Shuttle Challenger 1986
• Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 1989
• Sri Lanka Tsunami - 2004

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Myths vs. Reality

• Worst in Human Behavior
• In general, disasters DO NOT lead to mass panic
• People are often immobilized by disasters
• Residents of disaster-affected areas respond
  actively
• Epidemics and plagues are inevitable after every
  disasters
• Epidemics DO NOT spontaneously occur after a
  disaster

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Consequences of Disasters

• Injury, Illness Death
• Psychological distress
• Damage to buildings
• Damage to infrastructure
• Evacuation of homes communities

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What is a Disaster?

• Hazard
• Is a condition or agent that has the potential to
  cause harm
• Natural or Man-Made
• Disaster
• Is a hazardous event that occurs in a community
  and overwhelms the communitys ability to
  respond.
• For example An earthquake that occurs in the
  middle of the desert versus an earthquake that
  occurs in Portland

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Types of Disasters

• Natural Events
• Earthquakes
• Tornados
• Hurricanes
• Droughts
• Coastal erosion

• Man-Made
• Biological terrorism
• Bomb blasts
• War
• Civil strife
• Fires
• Intruders/Violence
• Chemical Spills

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Earthquakes
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Ache Before After
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Tacoma Narrows Bridge - 1940
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Tornado
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Chemical Spill
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Floods
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(No Transcript)
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Oklahoma City
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Nuclear Explosion
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Space Shuttle
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House Fire
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Phases of a Disaster

• Non-disaster phase
• Disaster preparedness
• Pre-disaster or warning phase
• Warnings are issued protective actions are
  taken
• Impact phase
• Disaster strikes
• Emergency Phase
• Immediately following the impact
• Reconstruction Phase
• Reestablishing normal services, repairing damage,
  etc.

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Assessing the Head Start Programs Risks
Resources

• Hazards that could cause a disaster in your
  community
• Specific areas of vulnerability and concern for
  your Head Start Program in the event of a
  disaster
• Human, material, financial, and other types of
  resources that can be used both in planning for
  and responding to a disaster
• Your Head Start Programs disaster planning
  priorities

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Community Risk Assessment

• Define the geographic areas impacting your Head
  Start center associated hazards
• What type of hazardous events have happened in
  your area how can these events impact your Head
  Start
• Identify the structures and facilities in your
  community that could result in a man-made
  disaster
• Assess the likelihood with which certain
  hazardous events may happen in your community

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Site-Specific Hazard Assessment

• Identify the hazardous features of the buildings
  where your Head Start center and administrative
  sites are located

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Resource Assessment

• Identify the resources that your Head Start
  program currently has and what you will need in
  order to respond effectively to a disaster

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Summary

• Summarize assessment results and prioritize needs
  to help guide your disaster planning strategy

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Developing/Implementing a Disaster Plan

• The purpose of the plan is to have policies and
  procedures in place prior to a disaster
• Adaptable to any situation
• Each site should have an individual plan

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Pre-Event Planning

• Introduction
• Emergency Contacts
• Information on Interagency Relationships
• Education and Training
• Watches and Warnings

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Incident Response

• Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities
• Emergency Supplies
• Maps
• Evacuation Policies and Procedures
• Sheltering in Place
• Hazard-Specific Information
• First-Aid Information

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Incident Recovery

• Reuniting Children with Parents and Caregivers
• Organizational Recovery

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Evacuate or Shelter in Place

• In the event of an emergency where hazardous
  materials, floods, power outages, esc., affect
  the areas outside of the Head Start center, you
  may be instructed to shelter in place.

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Emergency Plans

• Already in place for events at the Center (fire,
  intruders, loss of utilities)
• Plans are to safeguard your Center and children
  during and immediately following a disaster
• Must incorporate larger issues facing your
  community

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Safe Evacuation Routes

• Select evacuation routes that minimizes exposures
  to hazards
• Know location of gas power lines, and
  transportation routes
• The fire evacuation route may not work for all
  evacuations
• Alternative Routes

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Evacuation of Children/Staff with Disabilities

• How to evacuate people with disabilities
• Debris on floor
• Loss of electrical power and the effect on
  evacuation routes
• Buddy system

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Evacuate to Where?

• Need to establish where children will be
  evacuated
• Coordinate with Emergency Services
• How to inform the childrens parents
• News media
• Sign posted at entrance to Center compound

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Evacuation Transportation

• How will the children be transported away from
  the facility?
• School buses
• Emergency Services
• Transportation procedures for driving in a
  disaster
• What are the driving hazards associated with
  floods, earthquakes, tornados, blizzards, etc.

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Shelter in Place

• Short-term solution
• Designed to use the Center to avoid an outdoor
  hazard
• Measured in minutes not days

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Shelter in Place

• Discuss with local emergency coordinator
• Identify a room that will meet the needs
• Determine proper procedures, coordination
  communication
• Determine the required supplies

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Community Relationships

• Fire Department
• Health Clinics
• School District
• Police Department
• Tribal Administration
• Building Owner

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Communication System

• What is going on outside the Center?
• How to inform the Staff of an emergency?
• How to inform and properly evacuate or shelter in
  place the children?
• How to properly inform the EMS?
• Contacting Parents.

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Training

• Staff
• Policies and Procedures
• Staff orientation
• Drills
• Children
• Evacuation
• Protection
• Parents
• Informing parents of the policies and procedures

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Conclusion

• Parents and the Community must be involved
• Staff must feel comfortable and confident
• Use local EMS
• Practice, Practice, Practice!