Mass Care, Sheltering, and Human Services - Principles of Emergency Management - page 444

Bulk Distribution ........................................................................................ 468
Evacuation/Shelter of Household Pets and Service Animals ..........................469
Conclusion........................................................................................................470
References .........................................................................................................471

Introduction

Communities across the country face a variety of natural and man-made hazards
that may necessitate mass care and sheltering of evacuees in the aftermath of an
emergency or catastrophic incident. But more than just putting a roof over disaster
victims' heads and providing food and water, mass care involves a whole host of
vital services as a method of providing an effective on-ramp to full recovery.
The National Response Framework (NRF), Emergency Support Function
(ESF)-6, Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services,
defines broad services to support the immediate needs of disaster victims displaced
from their homes and communities (Figure 19.1).
The broad services defined for ESF-6 are as follows:

◾ Mass Care includes sheltering, feeding operations, emergency first aid, bulk
distribution of emergency items, and collecting and providing information
on victims to family members.
◾ Emergency Assistance involves services required by individuals, families,
and communities
− Evacuation support including registration and tracking of evacuees
− Family reunification
− Provision of aid and services to those with function needs
− Evacuation, sheltering, and other emergency services for household pets
and services animals

Mass care Housing

ESF-6

Human
services

Emergency
assistance

Figure 19.1 Emergency Support Function-6 (ESF-6) functions.