In Case of Emergency (ICE) Cards for Your Children #GetReadyGetSafe

Emergencies Happen!  Natural Disasters and Acts of Violence can happen with no warning at all.  Do you have a plan for your family?  Children are the most vulnerable in emergency situations. That’s why Save the Children encourages everyone to act to better protect kids BEFORE disaster strikes.  I remember the fear I felt after September 11th and one thing that helped me get through the panic that followed while I was still working across the street from ground zero, was to have a plan.  My roommate and I made a plan that no matter what happened we would meet one another at Barnes and Noble in Hoboken.  It helped so much knowing that if something happened my job was to get to Barnes and Noble.  Having a plan in place, a goal of who and where to meet and what to do gave me a little bit of control in an uncontrollable situation. This is what I always worry about now that I am a mother, what is our plan?? How will I get to my children when I work in another state, what will I do with my dog if there is a natural disaster and the list goes on.

If  there is an emergency and I can’t reunite with my children I have friends in place to grab my kids from school while they are there getting their own kids.  What will you do for your kids?  Do they know their phone numbers?  Where to go and who it’s ok to go with??

I got to meet with Save the Children this weekend and chat about their ICE Cards.

It’s so simple to do:

• Go to www.SavetheChildren.org/ICE
• Click on Make Your ICE Cards
• Don’t worry, your child’s contact card information will not be stored anywhere. You will receive a secure PDF at the end of the process in your email and on the confirmation screen
• Print two copies
• Put one copy in your child’s ICE Card in their backpacks, don’t put it outside for anyone to see, remind them it’s in there, show them where it is.
• Keep the other copy in your wallet.

It can be difficult to reach loved ones when disaster strikes. Power goes out, cell towers go down and stress levels go up.  Giving your children the power of knowing they have a plan can help ease their anxiety

Did you know:

• Every day, 69 million U.S. children are separated from their families while they are at school or child care.
• After Hurricane Katrina there were more than 5,000 reports of missing children. It took 7 months to reunite the last child with her family.
  • (Here is a video of one such family: https://youtu.be/KJ64WmgT7Gk)
• Your child’s ICE card should include 3 emergency contacts — including an out-of-town contact, because during emergencies, local communications are often down.

Some additional things YOU can do NOW

Print and share the Disaster plan checklists for families and a child’s school/child care.

Find them and more here:  www.savethechildren.org/checklists

See how your state does in protecting children from disaster while they’re in school or child care.

check the map: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.8777049/k.FE2A/Get_Ready_Get_Safe_US_Preparedness_Map.htm

Sign Save the Children’s pledge to protect children from disaster and encourage your followers to do the same.

www.savethechildren.org/pledge

Here is a post I wrote just before Hurricane Sandy.  It’s a great resource on what you can do and get to be better prepared in an actual emergency.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY