Recognizing Vulnerability and Capacity: Federal Initiatives Focused on Children and Youth Across the Disaster Lifecycle

Abstract

Over the past decade, a number of U.S. federal agencies have not only recognized children as a potentially vulnerable group in disaster but also made strides in involving children in hazards mitigation and disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. This chapter provides an inventory of government efforts (such as guidance documents and initiatives) that recognize children’s vulnerability to negative physical, psychological, and educational impacts of disaster, while also acknowledging their capacity to meaningfully contribute across the disaster lifecycle. The chapter concludes with a discussion of commonalities and points of divergence when it comes to government responses to children’s vulnerability and capacity in disaster contexts.

The authors would like to thank Stefanie Haeffele and Virgil Henry Storr at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University for their editorial leadership. Nick Horna and Christopher Rini, both undergraduate research assistants at the Natural Hazards Center, assisted with data collection for this chapter. Allison Carlock, National Youth Preparedness Lead at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reviewed an earlier draft of this chapter, which is gratefully acknowledged. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant no. 1635593. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.