Disaster Preparedness

Unit Overview

Disaster preparedness is both an individual responsibility and a government function. The three lessons in this unit provide teachers and students an opportunity to survey resources by government agencies about the various stages of disaster response, relief and recovery. The lessons allow citizens to consider what they need to do individually to be prepared and to be aware of disasters that may occur in our area. In addition, students will be asked to consider ethical ways to communicate, respond, and to provide assistance to others, as needed. Three stages of disaster relief provided in this lesson are preparation, response/communication, and recovery. Most government agencies frame disaster relief and preparedness in those same terms; encourage students to explore these stages of disaster preparedness so they can be prepared to protect themselves and their families, know how to access resources, and contribute to building a better community in the wake of any unforeseeable disaster.

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Disaster Preparedness Lesson: Planning and Preparation (1-2 Days)

Opening

FEMA Video 4.36 min provides a broad overview of disaster preparedness

FEMA Preparing Makes Sense

Objectives

Students will:

  1. evaluate and use disaster related information sources so they can be be prepared in case of emergency
  2. be able to create a disaster preparedness toolkit for family use
  3. create an informational flyer of resources available

Essential Question

How can knowing about potential disasters and resources available help protect me and my family?

Brainstorm disease/disasters in NM by area (examples)

-Fire

-Blizzard

-Flood

-Drought

-Disease

-WIPP spill

-Tornado

-Chemical Warfare

-Others??

Find a current event related to one of the above. Read and respond to the text; circle main ideas, underline words you do not know, write thoughts for further discussion in the margins.

Research

--Community’s warning signals-what they sound like and what you should do when you hear them.

--Which radio stations will provide emergency information for your area.

--Areas to where you might evacuate

--Ready.gov

--Be Informed

--Information For Educators & Students

--Center for Disease Control

--NM Dept of Homeland Security

Create an informational flyer

--Choose a natural disaster likely to happen in your area, then

--Make an evacuation plan for you and your family

--Make a list of supplies in your emergency preparedness kit

--Include an action plan for your pets.

--Include an out of area relative or friend to be your “family contact.” Explain their responsibility.

--Include emergency numbers and contacts

--Four Steps to Disaster Planning.pdf

--Make a Plan

--Preparation Checklist

Build a kit of supplies

--Look at the following websites for necessary items

--Be sure and include medical necessities, food, pet items

--Consider whether you will have cell and internet connections, electricity, water available

--Emergency Supply List

--Build a Supply Kit

Closing

Commit to talk to your family

Commit to make a plan and a supply kit

Resources

Cite your sources

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Disaster Preparedness Lesson: Communication (1-2 Days)

Opening: Show students images of disasters that have occurred recently. Examples may include 9/11, 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, 2013 Los Alamos evacuation, 2015 Texas floods.

Discuss ways in which this affected the populations of these areas in terms of separation from families and resources

Essential Question: How can social media can be used during a disaster to learn about resources, find missing people, locate disaster relief centers? What can be done in the event that modern technology fails?

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to

  1. Explain how to effectively use social media in the event of a disaster
  2. Explain ways to locate resources and communicate in the event that modern technology fails
  3. Identify local, state, and government agencies that assist in times of disaster

Procedures:

1. Distribute Scientific American article to students to read and discuss --How Social Media is Changing Disaster Response

Follow-up questions:

How does social media help those who are affected by disasters?

What are some of the negative effects of social media?

How social media is changing disaster response?

How can resources be effectively communicated via social media?

Discuss the use of hashtags and location tags on social media.

2. Discuss local, state, and national emergency organizations that may be on social media in the event of a disaster.

Which would be the most useful during disasters? Would the best organization change based on the type of disaster or emergency?

Possible organizations:

Bernalillo County Office of Emergency Management:

New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

National Library of Medicine list of disaster apps

3. Discuss what can be done to communicate during disasters when modern technology fails

Possible talking points include missing persons posters, landlines, common community centers to visit

Image link:9/11 missing persons posters

4. Working in groups of 3-4, students must create a one-page tip sheet for using social media in

the event of a disaster.

A. Pick a social media platform (google docs, twitter, facebook, instagram, etc)

B. Create your first post, assigning any natural disaster that seems possible in your area

C. “Do’s” and “Don’t’s”...list 5 do’s for people to consider when using the social media to

communicate about a disaster. List 5 don’ts for people to consider. Provide examples of

each. (ie- how do you effectively use a hashtag go to get a unique thread, but

discoverable)

D. Explain ways people can verify information on social media (Ex: FEMA rumor control)

Extension: Have students create hashtags that would be most easily searched and located during a disaster

Additional Resources:

Pew Research:Twitter and Hurricane Sandy

USA Today:Disaster-relief groups try tweets, apps to spread the news (video, article)

Ready.gov

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Disaster Preparedness Lesson: Recovery (1-2 Days)

What roles and responsibilities of citizens and the government in a natural disaster?

OPENING: Would you be a FEMA corp volunteer? Watchthis video about FEMA volunteers age 18-24.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What is the role of government and citizens in the wake of a disaster?

OBJECTIVES: By the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:

  1. Explain the role of FEMA in responding to disasters
  2. Describe the role of citizens as volunteers in the wake of a disaster
  3. Assess their willingness to become involved as a community volunteer

PROCEDURES: (Lesson: 1-2 days)

  1. Outline the Steps for FEMA to respond to a natural disaster in your area, using the website link:HERE.
  2. Read and discuss the NM Department of Homeland Security-Citizen CorpProgram
  3. Overview and discuss code of ethics in disaster relief treatment: on National Library of Medicine siteHERE
  4. Consider the role of CDC in disaster relief efforts by lookingHERE.
  5. Create a community identity profile. Label each spoke from the citizen, explaining how the research from the above sites applies to you and your actions in a disaster scenario.


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On a scale of 1-10, I rate my willingness to be a citizen volunteer for disaster preparedness and relief in my community as a: ______, because: (5-7 sentences)
How much do you agree with this statement: It is the duty of the government to help citizens recover to disasters? Explain your opinion.
Provide a hyperlink to one current event source that demonstrates how a citizen/voluntary group provided relief or recovery in a disaster in the United States:
In the event of a disaster, would people help each other or take advantage? Explain your thoughts and validate with at least one link to a real disaster scenario that justifies this opinion.

CLOSING: Organize students on a continuum of those most willing to least willing to be citizen volunteers for disaster relief and recovery and use this to share their justifications and information learned from various government agencies that provide relief alongside citizens.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES

"Citizen Corps." Citizen Corp. New Mexico Department of Homeland Security, n.d. Web. 20 July

2015. <

"Declaration Process Fact Sheet | FEMA.gov." Declaration Process Fact Sheet | FEMA.gov.

FEMA, n.d. Web. 20 July 2015. <

"Disaster Information Management Research Center." Information Sources on Ethics in Disaster

Medicine and Public Health. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 20 July 2015.

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"What Is CDC's Role in Emergencies?" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 July 2015.

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Lesson Plan Authors

Heather Dahl. Heather is a Social Studies teacher at Eldorado High School and a former school librarian. You can contact her at

Carrie Eaton. Carrie is the librarian at Manzano High School. She can be contacted at

Linda Keulen. Linda is the librarian at Roosevelt Middle School. Contact her at