Describes the effects of Hurricane Hugo and the San Francisco earthquake on child care and child care centers and the responses of the centers to the disasters. Announces the openings of new child care centers and an expansion of Head Start.(RJC)

Studied prior planning for and problems associated with evacuation of 1,860 nursing home patients in Pinellas County, Florida, due to Hurricane Elena in 1985 through questionnaires administered to nursing home administrators and public documents. Found most serious problems to be transporting patients to shelters in timely fashion, delayed passage…

Relates how campers and staff at a camp in Iowa managed during the flood, initiated clean-up efforts, and attempted to secure aid to pay for over $100,000 in damage to camp facilities. Following a visit, singer Billy Ray Cyrus donated concert ticket revenues to help pay for flood damages. (LP)

During any crisis on a college campus, the campus and surrounding community look for concrete signs that the institution is taking the situation seriously and responding with respect for the rights of individuals involved. The institution's first response must be the care and protection of the community, and individuals must be consistently held…

Discusses the need for emergency planning for libraries to ensure that disaster response teams are ready to deal with a variety of possible calamities. Guidelines are given for writing a disaster plan, including floor plans, emergency procedures, insurance coverage, treatment of damaged materials, and reallocation of staff and collections. (LRW)

In this article, the author talks about teachers communicating with students to show willingness to listen and care. In cases of real emotional distress, he refers students to the proper campus counseling services, but after Hurricane Katrina, it broke the barriers of his disengagement from students' personal problem. He learned that in many…

This article discusses Monroe Community College's CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), a program designed to help neighborhoods and work sites prepare for effective disaster response through training and planning. The program requires 24 hours of theoretical and hands-on practice in self-help and mutual-aid emergency functions. CERT personnel…

When the unfathomable happened to Dillard University and other cherished institutions on the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, an act of nature ripped more than 1 million people from their comfort zones and thrust them into the unknown. They still have not had time to fully assess their personal losses, so intent have they been on focusing on their…

This article relates the different views from specialists of the scientific expedition team for the exploration of the origin of sand-dust storms. They observed and examined on-site the ecological environment of places of origin for sand-dust storms, and tried to find out causes of sand-dust storm and what harm it can cause in the hope of…

School offers structure, stability, and support to children and youth displaced by disasters. The 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes demonstrated the powerful role that schools can play in helping displaced children overcome the traumas they experience and regain their academic, social, and emotional footing. The school response to the 2005 hurricanes…

Worldwide children are impacted by natural disasters, including hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, landslides and sandstorms, winter and severe storms, heat waves, volcanoes and tsunamis. School psychologists should understand natural disaster effects, such as economic loss, relocation and health concerns and mental health…

Public access to the Internet and computers is transforming public libraries into de facto e-government access points, for such disparate services as disaster relief, Medicare drug plans, and even benefits for children and families. This new role for public libraries is not just user-initiated. Government agencies now refer people to public…

Integrating technology learning goals and activities with recent experiences created by natural disasters is a valuable motivational strategy. The newfound appreciation that exists for personal emergency preparedness generates unique and sustained interest in alternative energy technologies and conservation. As described in this article, an ice…

Context and Purpose: Between 2002 and 2006 New South Wales was in the grip of the worst drought for more than 100 years. Financial hardships have led governments to declare "Exceptional Circumstances." Little social research has investigated the impact of drought on children. For this study, children from rural and remote regions of New…

Teaching children who are victims of Katrina is not a multicultural education issue per se. However, there are some intersections between the victims of Katrina and the educational responses to them, and some of the primary constituent groups and issues that multicultural education represents and intends to serve. These are children of color and…