# 6317
Disasters are equal opportunity destroyers.
To a tornado, earthquake, flood, or hurricane it matters not whether you are rich or poor, fit or infirmed, or young or old. And the very young and the very old are often the most vulnerable to their effects.
As a parent, I fully understand the desire to protect kids from the grim realities of disaster planning. But I also know - from personal experience – how vital it is to include our children in our emergency preparations.
Although it is hard to imagine it today, 50 years ago much of Florida was on a war footing, with legitimate fears of a nuclear attack that might come at any time.
In October of 1962, during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, armed military personnel were on the streets, schools were running daily `duck & cover’ drills, and thousands of people were hastily preparing fallout shelters.
School kids were sent home with civil defense pamphlets on the basics of radiation poisoning and how to build an in-home fallout shelter, while radio and TV stations blared CONALRAD Alert Tests.
At home – in addition to stocking up on extra food and supplies – my parents held several family meetings where my twin brother, older sister, and I were briefed on what to do, and where to go, should an attack occur.
While grim subjects - being able to talk openly about it, and actively do things to prepare – I’m certain empowered me, and made the whole experience far easier for this 8 year-old.
In the end, the Russians blinked, nuclear war was averted, and things eventually returned to an uneasy cold war `normal’.
But it was a very near thing.
Fifty years ago we weren't afraid to openly talk about the threat of atomic annihilation. We actually planned and worked to survive it. Admittedly, some of the civil defense messaging (especially to children) seems unduly harsh by today’s standards, but this was a far different age.
Sometime in the 1980's it was decided that a nuclear war, with our bigger warheads, wasn't survivable, and the civil defense network was disbanded.
Today the threat of a global nuclear war is greatly reduced, but other threats – ranging from earthquakes, to pandemics, to terrorist attacks – remain. And while fallout shelters are no longer in vogue, disaster preparedness never goes out of style.
To that end FEMA, CDC, HHS, READY.GOV, and NOAA, along with a variety of state, local, and federal agencies all actively work to get people to prepare for emergencies.
The messaging has improved and is far less stark than in the `bad old days’ of the cold war – especially for children - but it is no less important.
Ready.gov has a special site designed for kids, that can help teach them the basics of emergency preparedness. It is designed to be fun and informative, not scary.
Using games, comics, quizzes, and culminating in a certificate of graduation from Readiness U, this site provides an easy and painless introduction to emergency preparedness for kids.
You’ll also find plenty of information for Parents and Teachers to help you with talking to your kids about disasters and planning.
And after a disaster, FEMA has some advice for adults on how they can Help Kids Cope With Disaster.
While no one likes to think of their kids being affected by a disaster, it happens to millions of children every year. Teaching them what to expect, and what to do in an emergency may literally someday save their lives.
