Senate Concurrent Resolution 571

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO URGE THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TO CONSIDER THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN IN MAJOR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, RECOVERY AND MITIGATION.

WHEREAS, major disasters resulting in Presidential disaster declarations have increased from an average of 38 per year in the 1980s, to 46 per year in the 1990s, to 52 per year during the first half of this decade; and

WHEREAS, the occurrences of major disasters are expected to continue to increase in the foreseeable future; and

WHEREAS, the number of children affected each year by disasters such as Katrina is enormous; and

WHEREAS, schools were closed immediately after Hurricane Katrina, and in Mississippi 7 percent of elementary school and secondary schools remained closed 6 months after Katrina; and

WHEREAS, more than 400,000 children under the age of 5 live in or have evacuated from counties or parishes that have been declared disaster areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and

WHEREAS, the number of licensed child care facilities in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina declined by 4 percent (54 facilities) in Mississippi as a result of Hurricane Katrina; and

WHEREAS, children are known to benefit from rapid mental health programs following disasters to mitigate longer term impacts; and

WHEREAS, the existing system of disaster management in the United States is the purview of federal, state, and local government emergency management organizations, and such organizations are not mandated to nor are they able to fully respond to the unique needs of children; and

WHEREAS, federal, state, and local government emergency management professionals lack the technical knowledge, support, and contacts to address the unique needs of children that must be incorporated into such professionals' disaster management programs; and

WHEREAS, existing legislative constraints on federal disaster response and recovery aid programs restrict disaster officials from responding to the specific needs of children in a disaster, and there is no government liaison or programs concerning children's issues in disasters:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That

(1) The needs of children affected by major disasters are unique and should be given special consideration in planning, responding to, and recovering from major disasters; and

(2) The Federal Emergency Management agency and other governmental emergency management professionals should consult with appropriate child-focused nongovernmental organizations and public universities with experience in addressing the needs of children in major disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation, including:

(a) Incorporating suggestions from such organizations on children's issues into the national, state, and local response plan;

(b) Seeking the recommendations of such organizations on how to address the needs of children in emergency shelters, trailer parks and transitional housing sites;

(c) Jointly developing child, family, and school-focused disaster preparedness materials to support understanding of the impact of disasters on children and strategies to mitigate the impact, and

(d) Jointly developing risk assessment tools for communities to use in determining children's specific disaster risks.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and members of Mississippi's Congressional Delegation and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.