Does your agency or organization have a plan for emergencies such as fire, extended power outages, evacuation, or epidemic?  The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has brought to light a wide range of concerns and issues that had previously only grazed our thoughts.  In the Pacific Northwest, recent flooding and winds have provided local examples of the impact that nature can have. Throughout our Region, there is a heightened risk of earthquakes and other weather related hazards such as forest fires in the Summer.

Youth serving agencies and facilities need plans and emergency kits much like those urged for families.  In addition, the unique situations that young people represent make such planning very challenging.  The frequent turnover in staff and the transient nature of those being served complicates things even further. 

Having worked in public schools as a central office administrator for more than twenty years, I had many opportunities to observe reactions/responses to emergencies in a variety of contexts.  I noted that local schools with well thought out plans were usually much better able to cope with stranded students, threats of violence, and many safety related events.  Two keys are to keep plans simple and very practical and to practice simulations regularly (not just fire drills).

Applying this to youth shelters and facilities, it helps to assess probably emergency situations and what your staff and young people can do about them.  Unlike most schools, your clientele can probably manage quite well with no power or heat.  Street dependent kids may have more survival skills than your staff in some emergencies.  Interpersonal communication difficulties, however, may cause major problems in instances such as need for regional evacuations or interacting with law enforcement.  That is, during a volcanic eruption, for example, some of your clients may disregard the threat, directives, or have very limited ways to leave the threatened area. 

While it is impractical to prepare for a huge range of emergencies, it should be possible to assess your immediate community and facilities as to likely threats.  A simple plan could address threats to your building(s) and program(s) with well-planned (and practiced) responses, along with awareness of community-wide or regional response plans such as evacuation feasibility.  There are many informational sites that can be put to use for plan development.  Equally important is frequent review and modification, as staff/client turnover is usually very high.