Survey Shows Many Parents Would Thwart Emergency Evacuations in Disasters

Two-thirds say they would ignore orders to leave and would run to get their children from school; Parents need to be more aware of and confident in child safety plans

September 11, 2008 – Despite the recent successful evacuation of New Orleans in anticipation of Hurricane Gustav striking the region, a new survey shows that unexpected disasters, such as earthquakes or terrorist attacks, present many more obstacles and substantially greater challenges for emergency planners.

The survey, conducted by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and The Children’s Health Fund (CHF), shows that nearly two-thirds of parents would ignore established disaster plans and evacuation orders and scramble to collect their children from schools and day care centers – putting themselves and their entire community at serious risk.

The survey shows that despite years of federal and local government efforts to enhance personal community preparedness – the U.S. government has spent more than $7.6 billion on this since 2006 alone – the majority of U.S. adults still do not have the most basic preparations in place for a potential evacuation. These findings strongly suggest that far more work needs to be done to prepare for an unexpected emergency situation. The findings of the survey, done in collaboration with the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, include:

• Fewer than one-third of parents, 31%, would evacuate from their home or place of employment and reunite with their children later, if so directed. By contrast, 63% would disregard an evacuation order and go directly to their child’s school in an attempt to collect their children. These findings are consistent for all regions of the country (east, central, south, and west) and regardless of household income or parents’ education, age, or gender.
• Slightly over half of U.S. parents surveyed believed the school buildings in their community could withstand a major natural disaster such as an earthquake or tornado. Even among those parents who trusted in the physical integrity of the school buildings, however, 61% would ignore evacuation orders and retrieve their children.
• In the event of evacuation for a natural disaster with warning (such as a hurricane, flood or wildfire), fewer than half of U.S. residents, 45%, are completely or mostly prepared with the things they will need for a safe evacuation, such as personal medications, a family emergency plan, etc..
• Only about the same proportion, 44%, have all or some of the basic elements of a disaster preparedness plan (food, water, a flashlight with extra batteries, emergency phone numbers, and a meeting place in case of evacuation).
• Nearly half of parents, 45%, do not know the location to which their child would be evacuated as part of their school’s disaster plan. This is despite the fact that 61% of parents say they are familiar with their school’s plan.

“It’s clear from these findings that while we are spending an enormous amount of time and money on preparing for all forms of disasters, we are not understanding and accommodating the needs of children and their parents in times of emergencies,” said Irwin Redlener, MD, Director of the NCDP and President of CHF.

Many schools, with the intent on protecting children, have existing disaster plans that coordinate the evacuation of its pupils as a group to a safe location, in order to avoid congestion and chaos at the facility during an emergency. But as the survey shows, parents seek to be reunited with their children during a crisis, Dr. Redlener noted.

“If we fail to resolve this planning issue and don’t take into account obvious human behavior, we are going to jeopardize both strategies for ensuring the safety of children – evacuating with the rest of the school and waiting for parental pickup,” he said.
NCDP and CHF believe that if parents’ confidence in official plans to safeguard their children is increased, they are more likely to comply with disaster orders, including area evacuation. The NCDP and CHF recommend:

• All schools need to have well thought out disaster and evacuation plans that are clear, rehearsed, and coordinated with local emergency response officials.
• Parents must be made fully aware of all relevant school emergency plans, including where children will be sent and for how long, along with detailed reunification plans. Extensive meetings and appropriate communications with parents will be needed to reassure them that plans are workable, their children will remain safe in an emergency and that reunification will be efficient, effective and timely.

Since 2002, the NCDP and CHF have conducted annual surveys of public attitudes and personal preparedness in the aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Produced in collaboration with the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO), each is a random-dial telephone survey of approximately 1,300 to 1,500 adults stratified according to US Census 2000 data. In this survey, conducted between July 25 and August 9, 1,579 adults were surveyed and the margin of error is +/- 2.5 percent.

To access the white paper and full study findings:
http://www.ncdp.mailman.columbia.edu/files/white_paper_9_08.pdf

National Center for Disaster Preparedness
NCDP is an academically based, inter-disciplinary center focused on the nation’s capacity to prevent and respond to terrorism and major disasters. NCDP’s areas of expertise include disaster preparedness and response, mental health treatment, pediatric issues, and the socio-political dimensions of terrorism. NCDP is a national and international leader in disaster and terrorism readiness providing direct services to individuals affected by September 11, public health training, and applied research.

Mailman School of Public Health
The only accredited school of public health in New York City, and among the first in the nation, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health provides instruction and research opportunities to more than 1,000 graduate students in pursuit of masters and doctoral degrees. Its students and more than 300 multi-disciplinary faculty engage in research and service in the city, nation, and around the world, concentrating on biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, population and family health, and sociomedical sciences.

The Children’s Health Fund
The Children’s Health Fund, founded in 1987, is committed to providing health care to the nation’s most medically underserved children through the development and support of innovative pediatric programs and the promotion of guaranteed access to appropriate health care for all children. To date, The Children’s Health Fund’s national network of 22 pediatric programs has treated more than 350,000 children. For more information visit www.childrenshealthfund.org.

Marist College Institute for Public Opinion
Founded in 1978, the Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO) is a survey research center at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. The Marist Poll has conducted independent research on public priorities, elections, and a wide variety of issues including the economy, health care, foreign affairs, the environment, science, information technology, and lifestyles. Through the regular public release of Marist Poll surveys, MIPO has built a reputation of independence, reliability, and accuracy. Frequently cited by journalists, public officials, and policy experts, the Marist Poll has been recognized for fairness, accuracy, and timeliness. Its results are featured in print and electronic media throughout the world including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and on radio and television news broadcasts.