Planning for Reunification

Presenter’s Name June 17, 2003 Multi-Agency Mass Care Templates  Feeding (being revised)  Sheltering/Sheltering Support (completed)  Distribution of Emergency Supplies (completed)  Reunification Services (final edits)  Evacuation Support (to be developed)

Presenter’s Name June 17, Mass Care Reunification Definition  The process of assisting displaced disaster survivors to voluntarily re-establish contact with family, friends and colleagues after a period of separation and;  Providing facilitated assistance to children separated from their parent(s)/legal guardian(s).

Presenter’s Name June 17, Reunification End State  Individuals requiring reunification assistance have access to resources to affect reunification with household members.  Agencies responsible for identifying parents/guardians of unaccompanied minors and missing children receive targeted levels of assistance to affect reunification.  Relatives and concerned individuals receive assistance locating household members displaced by a disaster or emergency.

Presenter’s Name June 17, Reunification Services  Survivor access to communications to include telephone, cellular phones, and/or internet to connect with , social media, and reunification systems.  Seamless coordination and the ability to share information among agencies and organizations with reunification responsibilities for evacuees, children, displaced adults, missing persons, emergency welfare inquiries, medical patients (to include those in facilities and those evacuated), fatalities, and household pets and service animals.  Timely and consistent public messaging to survivors and the public outside the disaster area on available reunification mechanisms.

Presenter’s Name June 17, Reunification Services Factors  Evacuations: government assisted, medical  Limited or no access to communications  No notice incident  Schools in session  Large shelter populations  Fatalities and injuries

Presenter’s Name June 17, Reunification Services Factors  Population percentage with a disability, older residents or cultural/language differences  Special events occurring  Peak seasonal population  Media coverage

Presenter’s Name June 17, Estimating Levels of Impact Impact Levels High Medium Low Note: the percentages applied to the factors in this table are examples. Jurisdictions can adapt these based on their own capacities and capabilities.

Presenter’s Name June 17, Reunification Methods  Access to Reunification Systems  Physical Reunification  Emergency Welfare Inquiries  Reunification of Missing, Injured or Deceased with Families  Reunification or Missing Persons Call Center  Reunification Multi-Agency Coordination Center (R-MACC) and Reunification Coordination System (RCS)  Family Assistance Center

Presenter’s Name June 17, Determining Reunification Methods

Presenter’s Name June 17, Application of resources - examples  Activate a designated reunification system of record.  Implement a dedicated call center and/or a family assistance center to manage large numbers of inquiries.  Integrate staff into evacuation operations to ensure accountability and safety of unaccompanied minors.  Significant numbers of missing children and/or unaccompanied minors may trigger a request for activation of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s resources.  Activation of the Multi-Agency Reunification Task Force.

Presenter’s Name June 17, Application of resources - examples  Provision of behavioral health resources for survivors separated from family members and for reunification workers providing services.  Reunification support teams to assess reunification needs and to support multi-agency coordination, information sharing and reunification activities.  Request private sector and voluntary resources such as telephone and mobile phone banks, cell phones/wireless access (i.e., Cells on Wheels), charging stations, and/or computers with internet access for survivor communications at shelters, service and community sites, and evacuation sites.

Voluntary Agency Participation Response Awareness of survivor reunification needs / unaccompanied minors Connect people to Social Media Connect people to private sites if government sites not acceptable – awareness of privacy concerns Emotional support to survivors Support reunification public messaging Provide communication resources Recovery Casework that includes reunification component

Voluntary Agency Participation Preparedness Develop individual Family Communication Plans Encourage members and communities to develop Family Communications Plans Familiarity with State reunification plans and system of record

Ready.gov Family Communication Plans 

Contact Individual Assistance Mass Care/ Emergency Assistance Catherine Welker – Emergency Management Specialist