AFS FLORIDA AREA TEAM
 

Florida Area Team Disaster Plan.

Florida is subject to natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, sever flooding and thunderstorms. Weather news is available all over the world. Natural families of hosted students may see news of hurricanes or other disasters and be concerned about the safety of their child and the host family. In the aftermath of a disaster, AFS will want to confirm the safety of the student and host family. If a host family has been affected by the disaster, it is important for AFS to know and be involved.

Action by Host Family and Student

    1. If there is sufficient warning, prepare for a disaster. Explain to the student what may happen. If you evacuate, notify Pam Medley - AT SUPPORT COORDINATOR. Provide cell and emergency contact phone numbers.
    2. Following a disaster if you have phone service or computer access, ask your student to call or e-mail their natural family to let them know you are all safe.
    3. Call (don’t e-mail) your AT SUPPORT COORDINATOR and LIASON. If they don’t answer, call in the order listed, the following people until a person is reached. Leaving a phone message or sending an E-mail is not sufficient during a disaster. Verbal contact must be made.

    • AT SUPPORT COORDINATOR
    • AT CHAIRPERSON
    • SUPPORT STAFF IN BALTIMORE
    • DUTY OFFICE IN BALTIMORE (ask them to notify AT)

    In a disaster, electricity, phone service and internet service to your home maybe disrupted or you may have evacuated your home. In the aftermath of the disaster, make an effort to find a working phone as soon as possible to let AFS know where you are and status. AFS will notify your student’s natural family.

Action by Liaisons and Support Coordinator

    1. If there is sufficient warning prior to a disaster, the AT Support Coordinators will send an E-mail reminder to the liaisons, students and host families in the area at risk regarding the action they should follow during the disaster. In addition the Support Coordinators will arrange for all liaisons and host families to be called. The Support Coordinator can recruit other AFS volunteers to assist with calling.
    2. When liaisons are notified by the host families they must report to the Support Coordinator
    3. The support Coordinator will notify the Support Staff in Baltimore. Baltimore needs to know in order to handle contacts from natural parents through AFS partner countries.

Example

Tropical storm Frances, over a period of 4 days, develops into a category 4 hurricane and heads directly toward the Florida Coast. The satellite photograph of the hurricane approaching FL is broadcast on the news internationally along with pictures of wind damage and flooding from previous hurricanes. Natural families of students hosted in FL are worried about their children and the host families.

In anticipation of the hurricane making landfall; the AT Support Coordinator sends an e-mail message and arranges for all the host families and liaisons that possibly could be affected by the hurricane to be called and reminded of the AFS disaster plan. Home and cell phone numbers are verified. Several host families in the coastal are asked to evacuate. They notify their AT Support Coordinator and provide emergency contact numbers.

Following land fall and the passage of the hurricane, the students notify their natural parents of their status. The host families call their liaison and let them know they are okay. The liaisons call the AT Support Coordinator. The Support Coordinator reports to the AT chair and Support Staff in Baltimore that all the students and families have been contacted and reviews their status. A few calls come into AFS from Partner countries and they are able to quickly check the list and reply that the student and family have been contacted and confirm their status.