In Case of a Disaster or Earthquake

If you're in the Southern California or surrounding areas, you probably felt the recent earthquakes. It isn't too late to get prepared.

The Pediatric Disaster Resource and Training Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles strives for pediatric disaster preparedness to help mitigate the repercussions an emergency or disaster may have on children and their health and well being. After the 7.8 earthquake in Nepal in 2015, nearly one million children were affected. Thus, the UNICEF organization issued warnings regarding the vulnerable status of children in such a situation. They shared that the potential risks that children can face during a disaster include:

• Family separation
• Disruption of regular schedule or school
• Anxiety, fear, PTSD and other emotional distress
• Problems from dehydration and lack of appropriate food sources
• Higher chance of getting infectious disease with lack of proper hygiene

For families interested in disaster preparedness, please visit the Pediatric Disaster Resource and Training Center, read “Is Your Family Prepared For a Disaster?,” and print out the following infographic.