Exploring Disaster Human Services for Children and Youth

From Hurricane Katrina to Paradise Wildfires: Exploring Themes in Disaster Human Services summarizes a virtual workshop convened on July 22–23, 2020, by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The workshop examined the impact of disasters on children and youth, drawing lessons from past events to improve the coordination, delivery, and restoration of human and social services. It focused on families already engaged with supportive programs and explored strategies for resuming routine services post-disaster.

Key Features:

• Reviews lessons learned from previous disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and the Paradise wildfires.
• Focuses on the effects of disasters on children, youth, and families connected to federal, state, or local programs.
• Explores coordination and transition of disaster response among human services, social services, and public health agencies.
• Highlights promising practices, ongoing challenges, and opportunities for improvement in service delivery.
• Summarizes workshop presentations, discussions, and expert insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.