Planning for Reunification
Multi-Agency Mass Care Templates
 Feeding (being revised)
 Sheltering/Sheltering Support
(completed)
 Distribution of Emergency Supplies
(completed)
 Reunification Services (final edits)
 Evacuation Support (to be
developed)
www.nationalmasscarestrategy.org
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
Mass Care Reunification Definition
 The process of assisting displaced disaster survivors to
voluntarily re-establish contact with family, friends and colleagues
after a period of separation and;
 Providing facilitated assistance to children separated from their
parent(s)/legal guardian(s).
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
3
Reunification End State
 Individuals requiring reunification assistance have access to
resources to affect reunification with household members.
 Agencies responsible for identifying parents/guardians of
unaccompanied minors and missing children receive targeted
levels of assistance to affect reunification.
 Relatives and concerned individuals receive assistance
locating household members displaced by a disaster or
emergency.
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
4
Reunification Services
 Survivor access to communications to include telephone,
cellular phones, and/or internet to connect with email, social
media, and reunification systems.
 Seamless coordination and the ability to share information
among agencies and organizations with reunification
responsibilities for evacuees, children, displaced adults,
missing persons, emergency welfare inquiries, medical
patients (to include those in facilities and those evacuated),
fatalities, and household pets and service animals.
 Timely and consistent public messaging to survivors and the
public outside the disaster area on available reunification
mechanisms.
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
5
Reunification Services Factors
 Evacuations: government assisted, medical
 Limited or no access to communications
 No notice incident
 Schools in session
 Large shelter populations
 Fatalities and injuries
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
6
Reunification Services Factors
 Population percentage with
a disability, older residents
or cultural/language
differences
 Special events occurring
 Peak seasonal population
 Media coverage
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
7
Estimating Levels of Impact
Impact Levels
• High
• Medium
• Low
Note: the percentages applied
to the factors in this table are
examples. Jurisdictions can
adapt these based on their
own capacities and
capabilities.
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
8
Reunification Methods
 Access to Reunification Systems
 Physical Reunification
 Emergency Welfare Inquiries
 Reunification of Missing, Injured or Deceased with Families
 Reunification or Missing Persons Call Center
 Reunification Multi-Agency Coordination Center (R-MACC)
and Reunification Coordination System (RCS)
 Family Assistance Center
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
9
Determining Reunification Methods
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
10
Application of resources - examples
 Activate a designated reunification system of record.
 Implement a dedicated call center and/or a family assistance
center to manage large numbers of inquiries.
 Integrate staff into evacuation operations to ensure
accountability and safety of unaccompanied minors.
 Significant numbers of missing children and/or
unaccompanied minors may trigger a request for activation of
the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s
resources.
 Activation of the Multi-Agency Reunification Task Force.
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
11
Application of resources - examples
 Provision of behavioral health resources for survivors
separated from family members and for reunification workers
providing services.
 Reunification support teams to assess reunification needs
and to support multi-agency coordination, information sharing
and reunification activities.
 Request private sector and voluntary resources such as
telephone and mobile phone banks, cell phones/wireless
access (i.e., Cells on Wheels), charging stations, and/or
computers with internet access for survivor communications
at shelters, service and community sites, and evacuation
sites.
Presenter’s Name
June 17, 2003
12
Voluntary Agency Participation
• Response
• Awareness of survivor reunification needs /
unaccompanied minors
• Connect people to Social Media
• Connect people to private sites if government sites not
acceptable – awareness of privacy concerns
• Emotional support to survivors
• Support reunification public messaging
• Provide communication resources
• Recovery
• Casework that includes reunification component
Voluntary Agency Participation
• Preparedness
• Develop individual Family Communication Plans
• Encourage members and communities to develop
Family Communications Plans
• Familiarity with State reunification plans and system of
record
Ready.gov
Family Communication Plans
 http://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan
Contact
Individual Assistance
Mass Care/
Emergency Assistance
Catherine Welker – Emergency Management Specialist
Email: catherine.welker@fema.dhs.gov