director likes to think about the possibility of a disaster happening at camp. However, failing to adequately plan for such an event increases the danger. Planning may not prevent the event that can cause a crisis, but it may minimize its effects if the plan is properly designed and implemented. The types of disaster planning needed will vary from one geographical region to another. Contact your local office of the Red Cross, Civil Defense, and other agencies for information about how to be prepared for and react to the types of emergencies which may arise in your area.

To get started, here are some events that need emergency plans. Check the ones that possibly could affect your camp:

Natural Disasters	Man-made Emergencies
Earthquakes	Nuclear Attack
Tornadoes and Cyclones	Kidnapping
Severe Thunder/Lightning Storms	Hostage Crisis
Flooding	Reactor Meltdown
Hurricanes	Fire
Volcanic Eruptions	Blackout
Blizzard	Vehicular Accident
Epidemic	Murder
Natural Disasters	Rape
Natural Disasters	Terrorist Attack
Natural Disasters	Burglary
Natural Disasters	Toxic Chemical Spills

Once you’ve identified the potential emergencies that could arise at your camp, prepare a plan to deal with each one. Include these plans in staff training. Although the specifics of the plans will vary with the type of disaster confronted, evacuation plans and shelters will figure prominently in them. Here are some general disaster guidelines. However, they are not intended to take the place of a well–thought–out, locally–prepared plan.

1. Train staffers to be prepared to take emergency action.
Don’t keep your emergency plans a secret. You may not be able to give direction in the event of an emergency. Make sure everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency. Counselors should be responsible to insure that their campers cooperate fully with the emergency plans.

2. Identify potential shelters.
Everyone, from the kitchen crew to the counseling staff, needs to know the location of shelters. The structure that can provide shelter will vary depending on the disaster. This information should be clearly stated in the camp staff handbook. List the type of emergency and the shelter to which everyone should report.

3. Identify the quickest evacuation routes.
If there is a river that could flood, be prepared to move quickly to high ground. If a nuclear power plant begins emitting radiation, know which direction to move away from the danger. It is important to make sure that everyone can be safely evacuated. Assign drivers to be responsible for specific persons or groups in the event of an evacuation.

4. Know who to notify in the event of an emergency.
Every staff handbook should contain a list of names and phone numbers of police, fire departments, civil defense agencies, hospitals, ambulance services, trauma centers, etc.

5. Establish a set of signals that initiate emergency procedures or drills.
For example, one–minute blasts of an air or car horn could signal an approaching storm; therefore, children are to move to a storm shelter area. Three short blasts repeated over and over could signal a complete camp evacuation.

6. Establish procedures for accounting for all campers and staff in an emergency.
In any emergency it is important to be able to accurately identify who is safe and who is missing and presumed in danger. Identify a central location for all persons to meet away from danger. Counselors should report if any campers are missing. Staff directors should be responsible to report if any of their helpers are missing.

7. Conduct disaster preparedness drills for the most likely emergencies.
Make fire drills, moving to shelters in an orderly manner, and outdoor disaster survival techniques part of the camp activities.

Care should be exercised to avoid frightening the children in either drills or actual emergencies. However, this should not be used as an excuse to avoid proper preparedness.