Washington County Government: National Preparedness Month Week 4 - Teach Youth About Preparedness

Press release from the Washington County Government:

09/22/2021

You’re never too young to learn about emergency preparedness. Well, okay, maybe infants won’t fully understand the topic, but preparedness shouldn’t just be for adults. Kids and teens should be included in family emergency planning, taught about safety practices and empowered to be prepared.

When preparing for emergencies, think of smaller scale events, like a school evacuation. These are likely to happen more often than a large earthquake or flood and are equally important when preparing. In these situations, your child will need to act and make decisions without you, so teaching them about emergency preparedness and your family plan will give them the tools and information necessary to make good decisions.

Here are some key pieces of information and safety practices your child should know:

Here are some ideas on how to talk about preparedness with your children:

Here are some ideas on how to talk about preparedness with your children:

For kids: Make preparedness into a game! Learning how to drop, cover and hold can become a fun afternoon activity while still teaching your child important safety practices. Watch how this California mother does it. Ready.gov has some online games and apps you can use as well.

For kids: Make preparedness into a game! Learning how to drop, cover and hold can become a fun afternoon activity while still teaching your child important safety practices. Watch how this California mother does it. Ready.gov has some online games and apps you can use as well. For teens: Once you and your family have a plan, ask your teen what if scenarios to see what they would do and make sure they know how to respond in an emergency. Teens can also engage more in preparedness, both at home and in the community. For extra passionate teens, consider the FEMA Youth Preparedness Council and Teen CERT. If your child is in the scouts, see if there’s a preparedness badge you can work on with them.

For young adults away at college: Just like you have an emergency plan and kit at work, your child should have one for their dorm or college apartment. Together with your child, find out what the college’s emergency response plan is. Make sure you and your child follow the safety department and local responders on social media to stay up to date on any incidents in the community near the college. Work with your kid to develop a college dorm or apartment emergency plan. Just like at home, identify escape routes, possible friends or family in the area to evacuate to and determine a communication plan to ensure your child stays safe.

For young adults away at college: Just like you have an emergency plan and kit at work, your child should have one for their dorm or college apartment. Together with your child, find out what the college’s emergency response plan is. Make sure you and your child follow the safety department and local responders on social media to stay up to date on any incidents in the community near the college. Work with your kid to develop a college dorm or apartment emergency plan. Just like at home, identify escape routes, possible friends or family in the area to evacuate to and determine a communication plan to ensure your child stays safe.

Teachers can also incorporate preparedness into the classroom. Visit Ready.gov to find lessons and activities and other resources for your students.

Teachers can also incorporate preparedness into the classroom. Visit Ready.gov to find lessons and activities and other resources for your students.

Activity Focus: Pick a preparedness themed dinner conversation for your next family meal:

Activity Focus: Pick a preparedness themed dinner conversation for your next family meal:

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This press release was produced by the Washington County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.