Before a disaster
1. Become CERT trained
2. Identify, locate, and update on ward/area map elderly and disabled persons.
3. Inform each elderly and disabled individual of the positives of preparedness and discuss ways in which they could be of help in a disaster.
4. Complete a neighborhood survey.
5. Identify people in the area who are professionally trained in child care, geriatric care, and are working with the disabled.
6. Identify buildings that could be use4d for a group shelter. identify people in the area who have motor homes, trailers and campers that can be used as temporary shelter in a disaster.
7. Be familiar with FEMA publications: "Helping Children Cope with Disaster", "Coping with Children's Reactions to Earthquakes and Other Disasters".
8. Encourage families with small children to store in their food storage and place in their 72-hour kits, stuffed animals, comfort foods, activity books and other fun things to do.
9. Inform families with dependent children to:
a. Understand fears and anxieties of children follow a disaster.
b. Be Familiar with school policies for disaster.
c. As a family, have a evacuations plan including selecting a meeting place near the home if the home is unaccessible.
d. Select a nearby family for children to stay with if parents are unavailable.
e. Know the location of the EOC.
10. Help add to the local cache: blankets, stuffed animals, comfort foods (hard candies), activity books, and other fun things for children.

In the event of a disaster
1. Help locate, account for, and evacuate where necessary, all elderly and disables in the area.
2. Watch for unattended children.
3. Inform the EOC of any problems or special needs with elderly, disabled or unattended children.
4. Enroll the services of professionally trained individuals in geriatrics and child care where needed.
5. Help set up mass child care if necessary to free up adults and teenagers for search and rescue and clean up operations.