Teaching emergency preparedness to restricted-budget families.

OBJECTIVE To fulfill the health teaching and promotion responsibilities of public health nurses, a teaching intervention was devised to prepare low-income, low-resource families to survive a worst-case disaster scenario. The purpose of this study is to introduce that plan. DESIGN Teaching sessions were held to increase awareness about disaster preparedness and to provide the resources necessary for preparing disaster kits on a restricted budget. SAMPLE This project focused on families enrolled at the Children's Relief Nursery in Portland, Oregon's St. Johns District. MEASUREMENTS Posttest assessments and client follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months were used to assess the effectiveness of the curriculum and follow-through on kit preparation. RESULTS A replicable teaching tool was successfully developed, and the interest and commitment of community partners dedicated to assisting restricted-budget families was secured. CONCLUSIONS States' disaster plans hinge on individuals' implementation of their own survival plans, and it is vital that these individuals be made aware of their responsibility. It is truly a matter of life and death that families possess the skills, knowledge, and resources to carry out a disaster survival plan successfully, and it is the ethical responsibility of the public health nurse to intervene.