September 1, 2025

During September, we will address pediatric considerations in disasters and mass casualty incidents.  

First, the definition of disasters: any disruptive event that causes trauma or loss to a community, creating overwhelming needs that cannot be met by available resources. They are mostly unpredictable and generally cannot be prevented, vary by size and location of the event, and can cause overwhelming effects on a community’s response. Disasters pose a significant local impact but may often also have county, state, or regional impact. Planning and partnering ahead make a difference in children’s health and their psychological outcomes. Ensuring that children’s needs are not neglected in planning, response, and recovery efforts is vital. Pre-hospital providers have a critical role to play in disaster management, which will be discussed in the coming weeks. A critical aspect of planning is to identify those children at the highest risk. For example, communities may face additional challenges protecting children during emergencies because of economic, geographic, or racial/ethnic disparities.  

Types of Disasters 

Natural Disasters include floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, storms, tornadoes, and wildfires. 

Man-Made Disasters include bioterrorism, terrorist events, school shootings, structural failure, or a hazardous material spill.  

Infectious Disease Outbreaks, Emerging Infections, or Pandemics include, but are not limited to, outbreaks of new and unknown diseases, known diseases that spread quickly, coronavirus infections, and diseases that are persistent and hard to control. 

It is important to remember that children differ from adults in physiology, developing organ systems, behavior, emotional and developmental understanding of and response to traumatic events, and dependence on others for basic needs. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement emphasizing the need to include children in disaster planning, seen below:

Ensuring the Health of Children in Disasters

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS ADVISORY COUNCIL; COMMITTEE ON PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE

This Policy Statement was reaffirmed April 2021.

Infants, children, adolescents, and young adults have unique physical, mental, behavioral, developmental, communication, therapeutic, and social needs that must be addressed and met in all aspects of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Pediatricians, including primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists, have key roles to play in preparing and treating families in cases of disasters. Pediatricians should attend to the continuity of practice operations to provide services in time of need and stay abreast of disaster and public health developments to be active participants in community planning efforts. Federal, state, tribal, local, and regional institutions and agencies that serve children should collaborate with pediatricians to ensure the health and well-being of children in disasters.

Next week, expect to read the reasons why children are more vulnerable during disasters. In the coming weeks, we will also discuss mass casualty incidents, planning for disasters, triage, and the roles of prehospital providers in disasters.  

Until then, stay safe and have a great week,

Regina A. Yaskey, MD