Someone to watch over me: when disasters happen, many are prepared to help out.

The headlines are scary--terrorist attacks, violent tornadoes, bird flu. But if there are many reasons to be worried, there may be even more reasons to relax. Now more than ever, people are working to prepare for and respond to disasters.

Individual Efforts

When disaster strikes, first responders are often adults, such as police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. Sometimes, however, well-prepared young people help, such as Dennis Whiting (in photo), 18, a volunteer firefighter who attends Ossining High School in Ossining, N.Y. His desire to help others is part of a family tradition. "My grandfather, father; and two older brothers are all volunteer firefighters," Whiting notes. He began at age 14 and became a full-fledged volunteer this year.

Whiting's training came in handy last summer when an oil tanker crashed. "[Oil] was leaking into nearby streams and could have gotten into the water supply," he recalls. "We took control of the scene and called the Westchester County [hazardous materials] team."

At school, Whiting helps physical education teacher Rob Battista teach a firefighting class. Students learn about the profession through movies, field trips, guest speakers, and drills. They also try to meet the physical fitness standards of the New York City Fire Department.

Claire Yergeau (in photo), 14, jumped at the chance to learn more about firefighting. "[I've] wanted to be a firefighter ever since I was 3," she explains. "I thought it was cool when firefighters were going in to save people as everyone else was running out."

College students also respond to disasters, like the five students from the State University of New York, New Paltz, who handed out meals to survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Before the trip, they were trained by James Halpern, a psychology professor and the director of the university's Institute for Disaster Mental Health.

The 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City drew Halpern into relief work. Watching television coverage of the event, he resolved that the next time a major disaster occurred, he would be ready to help. Halpern got training from the American Red Cross and went on to counsel victims of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.

"Disasters happen," Halpern says. "It's not something to be frightened about; it's something to be thoughtful about and prepared for. ... Knowing what to do and how to 'evacuate, respond, recover' can instill a realistic confidence and decrease fear."

Government Gets Involved

Disaster planning and response aren't left just to individuals, though. For example, Pine View Middle School in Land O'Lakes, Fla., periodically practices evacuations, just as it would in the event of a real disaster. Such drills are aimed at slashing evacuation times and eliminating the panic and confusion that can occur during tornadoes and other emergencies.

The school's principal, David Estabrook, is also a tornado shelter manager, a role for which he has received special training. "I've been involved in opening shelters close to 10 times," he comments. "It's a whole lot of people working together: the Red Cross, the sheriff's office, the [Pasco County] school district."

On a grander scale, states continuously prepare for disasters. In Alaska, where more than 40 volcanoes have erupted since the 1700s, the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management provides families with tips on dealing with volcanic ash. The agency's Web site advises Alaska residents to have dust masks. At the Alaska Volcano Observatory, government and university experts keep watch over volcanic activity.

California officials are scrambling to prevent the deluge that could occur if levees in the Sacramento River Delta region fail because of a storm or an earthquake. In February, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency, ordering state agencies to begin levee repairs.

Government officials are also preparing for health-related disasters, such as a global outbreak of bird flu. As the disease, which has killed more than 100 people in other parts of the world, threatens to spread to North America, governments are testing migratory birds and formulating response plans. A Web site operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers planning checklists for state and local governments, schools, businesses, health-care providers, and individuals.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages precautions, such as flood-plain management and building codes that make structures hazard resistant. The agency prepositions supplies and staff when large-scale disasters are anticipated and helps with everything from housing assistance to medical care to temporary classrooms in the aftermath. Still, FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina was considered by many to be inadequate, showing that disaster preparation and response are ongoing processes.

Don't Panic

You can't prepare for every disaster, and you don't need to. After all, there's no reason to fear a tsunami in Kansas or to lose sleep over earthquakes if you live far from a fault zone. For specific issues that might affect you, though, follow the Boy Scouts' lead--Be prepared.

Radios to the Rescue

Amateur radio operators, such as 16-year-old Andrea Hartlage of Grayson, Ga., pitch in during disasters. Andrea, a member of the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Emergency Service, relayed messages into areas where Hurricane Katrina had downed telephone lines and overwhelmed cellular-phone systems. She also helped staff a resource and recovery center for evacuees. Andrea, a graduate of a Community Emergency Response Team course, explains that such training can make it easier to face a disaster: "It's less frightening, knowing you can have a productive role in making the situation better."

emergency

Want to know more? Check out these Web sites for other ideas about preparing for emergencies.

www.homesafetycouncil.org

www.redcross.org

www.readt.gov

Safety Zone

Your Emergency Backpack

As "Someone to Watch Over Me" shows, it's vital to prepare for the unexpected--an earthquake, a flood, a fire, or even loss of plumbing or electricity. A first step is assembling a kit to get you through any situation. This pack is filled with items suggested for teens by the Home Safety Council.

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Discuss

* How do students in Ossining High School's firefighting class learn what it's like to be a firefighter? (watching movies, going on field trips, hearing guest speakers, doing drills, and training to meet the physical fitness standards of the New York City Fire Department)

* Which levels of government respond to crises or disasters? (all of them, from local departments to states to the federal government)

* What steps have you and your family taken to prepare for emergencies? (Answers will vary.)

Do

As a class project, instruct students to research naturally occurring emergencies in your area (such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes) and how the community is equipped to respond. Check with meteorological agencies about severe weather patterns or with geological organizations about earthquakes. Ask the public relations officers at local police, fire, public health, and other agencies to walk the class through emergency-response plans. Students can present the information to the school by way of a poster campaign or an op-ed piece in the school newspaper.

Resources

In addition to the various agencies and organizations mentioned in the article, here are more Web sites for groups that respond to emergency situations: American Radio Relay League (www.arrl.org); Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org: Noah's Wish (www.noahswish.org); Salvation Army (www.salvationarmy.org); United States Coast Guard (www.uscg.mil).