P3.C044: Training for Community Leaders: Supporting Families During and After a Natural Disaster

Background: Community leaders play a crucial role in aiding and supporting families with children during and after natural disasters, often before formal agencies can provide assistance. Children, particularly those with special health care needs, are especially vulnerable during and after such events. Families forced into temporary shelters face challenges due to limited resources. Therefore, providing guidance on best practices to support the health and well-being of these families is essential. This program aimed to train community leaders and volunteers to prioritize the needs of families with children, thereby reducing the risks of mortality and morbidity.

Methods: A team of pediatricians with various specialties and extensive experience in providing post-disaster support in Puerto Rico (major hurricanes in 2017 and earthquakes in 2020) collaborated to develop a curriculum. This curriculum offers recommendations to community leaders on preparation, mitigation, and recovery after a disaster, with a focus on families with children. Five webinar sessions were conducted: Preparation before a disaster, Caution after a disaster, Common emergencies before and after disasters, Infection prevention and control, and Emotional health. Promotion was carried out through social media and directly to NGOs in Puerto Rico. Participants were required to register, complete a pre-session survey, attend the webinar, and complete a post-session evaluation. They received a certificate of participation for each session. During each session, participants could ask questions and share their comments. On-demand webinar sessions were available after each live session.

Results: A total of 242 participants registered, with 218 completing the pre-webinar survey. 65.8% identified as community leaders, with 66% being volunteers. While 73% had prior experience in supporting families after disasters, only 59% had received previous training in disaster support, and a mere 38% had training specifically related to children and disasters. A total of 113 participants engaged in multiple sessions, with an average of 46 participants per session, ranging from 32 to 77 participants. A total of 275 evaluations were completed for the 5 sessions, focusing on session topics, timing, webinar quality, and faculty. Overall, the evaluation outcome was excellent, with participants indicating that the objectives were accomplished. The evaluation also gathered participants' recommendations for priorities to address in the PRAAP Chapter's social media messaging to inform and educate the public and families on topics of preparation, recovery, and mitigation.

Conclusion: Preparedness for natural disasters is crucial, and community leaders play a vital role in mobilizing and protecting families with children as first responders. This necessitates an understanding of children's needs and effective strategies to address them. Training is recommended to empower community leaders with the necessary tools and knowledge to best assist in the preparedness, recovery, and mitigation of disaster threats to their community, with pediatricians playing an important role in collaborating with their expertise and experience.