SAFRR and LA Children's Hospital Convene a Meeting on Children and Earthquakes

SAFRR team members Lucy Jones, John Bwarie, and Erin Burkett co-convened a meeting with LA Children's Hospital representatives at the LA City Emergency Operations Center July 1, 2013 to bring together participants representing various libraries, museums, and children's centers around Los Angeles to discuss "Earthquakes, Children, and the Future of LA". The meeting consisted of short presentations, including "Earthquake Risk in Los Angeles" by Lucy Jones and "Special Considerations for Children in Earthquakes" by Jeffrey Upperman from CHLA, followed by break-out group discussions on current strategies and safety measures as well as gaps and opportunities to be addressed in future meetings and efforts. A major focus of the talks and discussions was on addressing vulnerabilities specific to children, and in particular, how to help ensure that museums, libraries, children's centers or daycares can develop and have emergency plans in place to effectively provide water, food, shelter, safety, instructive guidance, and care for children that might become separated and stranded from their families in the event of an earthquake that severs LA transportation and supply lifelines.