Children in Disasters

Special Populations

Issues: Multi-casualty and complex

• Dealing with primary injuries• Rapid identification• Protection of separated kids• Reunification with legal guardians• Minimize secondary injuries

Secondary injuriesI. Unintentional

- Carbon monoxide inhalation- Lacerations- Poisoning

II. Intentional- Abduction- Violence- Physical and sexual abuse- Neglect- Maltreatment

Background• 29th August, 2005, Hurricane Katrina a Cat.III storm

hit New Orleans• 4th Sept., 2005 1600 evacuees (300 children)

evacuated (31 hours bus ride)• Camp Gauber, Oklahoma National Guard Base• Oklahoma Army National Guard Maneuver Training

Center (33,000 acre site), Cookson Hills, 60 miles from Tulsa

Shelter• Series of two storied military barrack buildings• 5-6 large room• 50 people in each room• Pediatric Injury Response Team (PIRT) provided

care for child survivors– Child – safety crisis measures set up– Treated patients (dermatitis, asthma, upper respiratory

infections, diarrhea, skin or wound infections)

Hypothesis tested:

• A significant number of unregistered children at Camp Gruber were traveling without legal guardians and were on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

Problems• No standard approach• No rapid plan to identify the immediate needs of

children separated from parents• No registry set up• No information collected when they disembarked

from the bus• Subjected to physical assaults, rape, gang attacks,

murder etc.

Operation Child-ID: Case reports

• Early identification of a high risk situation and reunification

• Reunification of children and parents• Child abuse prevention

Discussions - ‘Principles’ not ‘Protocols’

• Displaced children

- quickly reuniting with primary caregivers

- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) minimized

- Community panic reduced

- Immediately register children and prioritize needs

- Id’s with photographs and identifying bracelets

- Set up a digital data entry systemPOSSIBLY A CENTRALIZED DATA TRACKING SYSTEM???

QUESTIONS?