An updated version of FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Catalogue: Disaster Preparedness Education Programs and Resources  is now available! The catalogue identifies existing programs, curricula, and resources that may be of interest to those seeking an introduction to, or learning more about, youth preparedness programs. The catalogue describes national, regional, and state-level programs.

November is Native American Heritage Month, which provides a platform for tribal communities to share their culture and traditions. On Native American reservations in the United States, as elsewhere, it’s important to prepare for emergencies, including natural disasters. 

FEMA Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) member Hailey Starr is committed to strengthening her community on the Muckleshoot Reservation in the Pacific Northwest. In a recent FEMA blog post, Amanda Osborn interviewed Hailey, who said her interest in emergency management and preparedness began when she joined the Muckleshoot Teen Community Emergency Response Team. “I realized that the reservation isn’t prepared,” Hailey said. “I wanted to do something to change that.” Read the full story. 

Hailey recently presented her work at the National Congress of American Indians' annual conference on a panel discussing emergency management. Alongside her on the panel were native youth from Sherman Indian High School, an off-reservation boarding high school for Native Americans located in Riverside, California. The high school students spoke about a poster they created to alert native peoples living in California to fault lines in the state. The poster includes a map of the fault lines, and translations of the earthquake drill “Drop! Cover! Hold On!” in all the native languages represented at the high school and in California.

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH®) partnership released its latest creative take on disaster safety awareness with the introduction of a children’s social gaming app called Last House Standing. The free smartphone and tablet app is offered by the same team that created several well-known public awareness campaigns, including StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes®; Turn Around, Don't Drown®; and Go Tapeless®. The app provides a fun way to introduce the next generation to one central point: that how and where you build is the most fundamental element of disaster survival for families and homes.

"Our goal is to introduce players to the idea that their choices help determine their level of disaster resilience," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "The app does this by [presenting] serious options about whether to build using hurricane shutters or other strengthening features like metal connectors, [along with] dozens of fantasy options, from castle moats to space domes. With only three minutes and a $100,000, players have to think fast to survive the disasters, but they learn that it can be done."

Last House Standing is available for download in the iTunes Store and at Google Play.

A newly released version of the Sesame Street® Fire Safety Program for preschool kids is now available! The U.S. Fire Administration, in collaboration with the Sesame Workshop, updated the program, which is designed to help educators and families teach children ages three to five essential fire safety information and skills.

Using familiar characters from Sesame Street, the Fire Safety Program illustrates ways to prevent fires and what to do if there is a fire. The program includes a teacher’s guide, a family guide, a CD with songs and stories, a coloring and activity booklet, and a poster. These materials are available for free in both English and Spanish at Sesame Street Fire Safety Program.

The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service’s (TEEX) National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center offers a Pediatric Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness training course. Funded by DHS/FEMA and TEEX, this 16-hour course is provided throughout the United States and its territories at no cost to participants. By incorporating case studies and small group exercises, students can discuss concepts and share ideas about pediatric disaster preparedness with each other. Students also review their community’s preparedness and identify weaknesses or gaps. They complete the course with a list of ways to bridge gaps and items to discuss and address within their communities. The course has been delivered in 27 states to more than 1,400 participants in the first year of its availability.

Contact Juan Guerrero at juan.guerrero@teex.tamu.edu with any questions or to schedule the course in your community. See also the course listing on the TEEX website.