Holes In U.S. Disaster Planning Exposed

Survey: Most Parents Would Defy Evacuation Orders To Pick Up Kids, Possibly Hindering Rescue Efforts

(AP)  In a disaster such as an earthquake or terrorist attack, nearly two-thirds of U.S. parents would disregard orders to evacuate and would rush to pick up their kids from school, according to a new survey.

The survey found that 63 percent of parents would ignore orders to evacuate and instead attempt to reunite with their children, possibly hindering rescue efforts by adding to traffic congestion.

The authors of the study, released Thursday on the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, said that despite years of government efforts to enhance disaster preparedness, schools need to do more to plan for disasters and parents need to be made aware of the plans.

The report was commissioned by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Children's Health Fund.

Among parents of school-age children, 45 percent said they do not know the location where their children would be evacuated as part of the school's disaster plan.

"There should be an outcry from parents to push their schools and their school districts to develop a plan that makes sense," said Irwin Redlener, associate dean for public health preparedness at Columbia and president of the Children's Health Fund.

The federal Department of Homeland Security has allocated billions of dollars to help state and local governments set up disaster contingency plans.

But just 44 percent of the U.S. residents surveyed this year said they have all or some of the basic elements of a disaster preparedness plan, including food, water, a flashlight with extra batteries and a meeting place in case of evacuation.

The survey has been administered annually since 2002 by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

The telephone survey of 1,579 adults was conducted between July 25 and Aug. 9. The margin of error for the entire survey was 2.5 percentage points. The margin of error for the subset of households with children was 4 percentage points.

Parents said Thursday they were not surprised by the finding that most of them would disregard evacuation orders and pick up their children.

Diana Ennen, of Margate, Fla., is the author of "The Home Office Recovery Plan: Disaster Preparedness for Your Home-Based Business" and a mother of three.

"As a mom, you wouldn't be able to keep me away from picking up my children," she said in an e-mail. "My first instinct would be to get them at all costs. I would literally run the entire distance to get them. I believe most parents would feel the same."

[downsteamjim]

Obama has one brother who lives in a shack worse than my doghouse, he portrayed one grandmother as a racist, gave so little to his other grandmother in Kenya that when robbers hit her house they found nothing worth stealing. I can easily imagine him forgetting about his kids in an emergency.

[muchmargarit]

Our grade school does have a disaster plan. Send the children home and do not call the parents. We have been fighting this plan for years. No it''s not ok to just have my 5 year old walk home alone when it''s 10 degrees outside. Our school is in a larger city, you would think that there would be better planning.

[Syndicate]

People who do not have children do not realize what happens when a parents kids are in any perceived danger. Think of a bear defending a cub. At that point your sole purpose in life is defending and protecting your children. It could probably be classified as some form of insanity.

[gramto8]

Most U.S. Parents Would Defy Evacuation Orders To Pick Up Kids, Survey Finds

Now this survey must have been done by a brain surgeon for a brain surgeon.

Posted by harp1963 at 08:58 AM : Sep 12, 2008

Naw, even Jethro Clampett wuldna knew beddurn dat!!

[rushliberal]

Homeland Security was created to funnel more money into Corporations pockets. They have DONE NOTHING in 7 years to help protect America - well that is besides SPY ON YOU!

Now is the time to demand real change!

Get off your lazy arses and vote for Obama - or expect more of the same!

[mgpm-2009]

I''ve NEVER heard of "plans" of evacuation where I live. Never heard that I shouldn''t pick up my kids, or what would be done with them. Of course I''d try to get to my children, that would be the first priority of any parent. If they want people to follow some plan where we are leaving our kids someone better INFORM us of that and ASSURE people and PRACTICE it by school district. Where the heck is the big money given to DHS? They sure don''t have programs to educate and inform the people, it''s not being spent on that!!

[jedwards808]

As a mom of a 3-year old, my first thought when reading even the headline of this article was DUUUUH! I can''t imagine being able to live with myself knowing that I left my son behind to be watched and cared for by officials or even school personnel, all of whom would undoubtedly be concerned about their own children and families as well. I would rather die trying to get him than allow something to possibly happen to him, always wondering if I could have made the difference. The mom who said she''d run the whole distance had exactly the same thought I did - traffic congestion and rules be damned, I''d get there somehow. maybe it''s time to re-work this plan.

[harp1963]

Most U.S. Parents Would Defy Evacuation Orders To Pick Up Kids, Survey Finds

Now this survey must have been done by a brain surgeon for a brain surgeon.

[jjp735i]

"The federal Department of Homeland Security has allocated billions of dollars to help state and local governments set up disaster contingency plans"

Billions spent on what plans? When was this done? When is someone going to tell us about the plan?

What idiot in the government even thought people would not go for their kids?

[oleander8]

Trust the government to care about my children? Not likely.

[misha128-2009]

"In a disaster such as an earthquake or terrorist attack, nearly two-thirds of U.S. parents would disregard orders to evacuate and would rush to pick up their kids from school, according to a new survey."

Yet another failure by the Department of Homeland Security. The real failure being how many of the people have actually heard of the plan at all? How can you execute a plan of which you are not informed?