EXCERPT FROM: KCRG-TV9
By Justin Foss
CEDAR RAPIDS - The lessons learned in Iowa's floods could soon help the entire country better handle disasters - specifically when it comes to your children.
Wednesday, the National Commission on Children and Disasters met in Cedar Rapids. During the meetings they met with school officials from Parkersburg, Waverly and Cedar Rapids.
Many of the kids at Harrison Elementary School in Cedar Rapids spent the last year and a half recovering from the flood. Staff there expected to deal with students' emotional outbursts. But those outbursts never came, and part of that credit goes to having enough resources to help families.
"I never felt like I reached out to provide services for a family and said I don't know where to find that service," said school counselor Sara Fry.
But that isn't the situation across the rest of the nation. And that's why these kids are teaching the National Commission on Children and Disasters a lesson.
The commission said Iowa responded well to the disasters, but that happened mostly by decisions made on the fly. And in the future, the commission doesn't want a good response to rely on luck, but instead on planning.
One lesson learned in Iowa: before 2008, there was no state-wide system to help families get the individual help they needed. There still isn't a system. However, state officials are hoping to get a system going during this upcoming legislative session.
Another lesson hits on the national stage - daycares and schools aren't required to have major evacuation plans.
"If a dirty bomb hits Washington, members of congress and their staff, in many cases, don't know where their kids will be taken or how to get in touch with them," said Mark Shriver, Commission Chairperson.