Podcast Transcript: When Disaster Strikes

Date: 07/10/2009 | Time: 6:51 | Size: 6.4 MB
Interview with a young man who has survived hurricanes, tropical storms and floods in his native Florida.
 
MS. EMAN QUOTAH:  [music]  Welcome to the Positive Youth Development Podcast Series by the Family and Youth Services Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The series is produced by the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth. 
 
I’m Eman Quotah, a writer/editor with the clearinghouse.  Across the country, thousands of people each year are affected by large scale disasters.  Wildfires in the West. Floods in the North, Midwest and South. Hurricanes in the Gulf states. 
 
During such emergencies, residential youth programs often have to pick up and move hundreds of miles.  They may stay in motels or share the facilities of other programs for days, weeks or even months.  We wanted to find out what youth workers can do to help young people get through a disaster. 
 
So we spoke to Brandon, a former client of Florida Keys Children’s Shelter.  In his 18 years, he's lived through hurricanes, tropical storms and floods. 
 
BRANDON:  We are at sea level here in Key West.  So that anytime it has a bad rain, most of the island floods.  Whether there's a full-blown hurricane or tropical storm, it's really windy and most of the trees here get pretty roughed up in any kind of strong storm.  So I've been—I've been through several different types of storms here. 
 
The best thing that you can do is to reassure the kids, to allow the kids to see that you're just one of them.  That you also have things that you fear and let them know on a personal level that they can count on you if they need help during evacuations.  [music]
 
During hurricane seasons or a natural disaster season, if you do have to evacuate, it is much better to have everything preplanned, have everything in boxes.  Just make sure all of the basic supplies you need is there and ready for you to use it, especially batteries, radios, flashlights, medical supplies. 
 
If you're going on a long trip in a vehicle or a van, just have coolers ready. Everyone knows that are evacuating it is very expensive.  Make sure that wherever you live has enough money for food.  What we did at our shelter is each kid got a bag, like a duffel bag, and was told to bring three days worth of clothes and things that they can't replace such as pictures and memorabilia from their life.
 
Things that I grabbed were the only things I've been able to hold onto through this process of moving around.  Some items I knew that were the only things that links me back to my family.  Which is like pictures of my family, pictures of my siblings. Several letters from my dad, my brother. Personal gifts that someone has given you. Anyone that's passed away, stuff that they have given you. 
 
I had a good-sized envelope of material that I collected over time.  Give them a list that identifies what they need to bring and a bag in which to carry it all in.  We had kids trying to bring like the whole stereo systems in place of clothes.  They were trying to bring a bunch of nonsense items they can replace.  [music]
 
When we evacuated and we went to other shelters or group homes, many times the staff did not let us feel welcome.  As an example, when we were in Miami, there was a group home that we stayed at.  The staff didn't cook for us.  They made us feel as though that if we ate breakfast that they had made, that we were eating up their food. 
 
My father was in prison several times.  And going into these places, these different shelters, these group homes, it felt the same kind of air as it did when I went to see my father with my brothers and sisters in jail.  It seemed like everyone there was peering at you.  That they didn't really want you to be there.  You don't know them.  So you don't know how they're going to react. 
 
Something I would suggest is that if you're hosting for another shelter, a group home, would be to let them know that you don't mind them being there.  Talk to them and let them know that you're glad that they're there.  That you're glad to be helping them.  It's okay if they're eating your food, that you're just glad that they're safe. 
 
If you are a guest at someone else's home, you've got to remember it is their home.  That is where they live.  So you need to respect that.  So you need to be kind and courteous to them.  Many people don't like strangers coming in and imposing in their house.  So you need to let them know that you're not there to stay.  And that everything they're doing for you, you do appreciate. 
 
Evacuating wasn't that hard for me.  Because I was so used to losing everything in the first place.  Like such as when I was taken away from my mom, me and my brothers had to leave everything behind.  Everything had a sense of urgency about it.  We weren't able to take any of our personal effects.  We had to leave everything that we knew, our games, our clothes, behind us.  [music]
 
You get used to the sense of losing everything you have.  And you also get used to a sense of urgency and devastation.  You learn that the most important things that you do have is your family and your friends.  [music]
 
So even though you might be leaving all your other stuff behind, you always have your friends and family to rely on.  [music]
 
MS. EMAN QUOTAH:  The Family and Youth Services Bureau requires new grantees of its Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs to create a disaster plan.  Existing grantees are encouraged to do the same.  To learn how to deal with every type of emergency, from kitchen fires to tornadoes, you can turn to Ready for Anything, our disaster planning manual for youth serving agencies.  The manual is available at ncfy.acf.hhs.gov.  [music]
 
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