Skip to main content
Berkeley Disaster Preparedness Neighborhood Network

Children

Kids handle a disaster better when they’ve practiced what to do and know how to reach you afterward. A little preparation — a song, a coloring page, a card in a backpack — goes a long way toward keeping them calm and safe.

Materials on this page were written and contributed by BDPNN Advisory Board member Gradiva Couzin, drawing on the Berkeley K-12 Schools Readiness Initiative and BUSD’s family emergency planning guidance.

Do this first

Fill out a backpack emergency card for every kid in the family and tuck it in their backpack. It’s the single fastest way to make sure your child can be reunited with you if a disaster happens while you’re apart.

Download backpack card (PDF) Get coloring pages

Drop, Cover, Hold On

“Drop, Cover, Hold On” is the standard earthquake response taught in California schools: drop to the ground, cover your head and neck under a sturdy table or desk, and hold on until the shaking stops. Practicing it as a song or a game makes it easier for young kids to remember and actually do in the moment.

“Drop, Cover, Hold On” (short) — LeConte Elementary Emergency Preparedness Assembly, in English and Spanish.

If an earthquake happens during the school day

Having a family plan for what to do in a school-day earthquake ahead of time — and sharing it with your kids — means everyone stays calmer when it matters.

Here are some tips for parents if a major earthquake (roughly magnitude 6.0 or larger) hits while kids are at school:

  • If you can do so safely, go to school early to pick up your child. Walk or bike rather than driving if you can.
  • Bring photo ID, and tell any emergency contacts to bring ID for pick-up.
  • Only people listed on your school contacts form will be allowed to take children home. List as many as possible. Try to include families from the school and people who live near the school.
  • When you arrive, look for posted signs or staff instructions on where to check in. Please be patient. It will take time to safely release the children.
  • If you can’t get to school or reach your emergency contacts right away, don’t worry! Children will be kept safe at school or another safe location until an authorized adult can pick them up.
  • Please don’t call the school. Phone lines need to stay open for communication with emergency responders.

Children look to their adults to be calm and reassuring in a disaster. You may need to take a pause, and lean on others for help if you need it to stay calm and follow staff instructions.

Talk to your child’s school about its specific emergency plan and check-out procedure — the exact process can vary by site. Your child’s homeroom teacher or principal is a good place to start.

Printable guidance

Backpack emergency cards

A backpack card stays with your child wherever they go and gives anyone helping them quick access to the phone numbers and information that matter most — especially useful if your child is with a caregiver, at camp, or somewhere else that doesn’t have all the contact information the school keeps on file. Kids feel calmer in a real emergency when they know there’s an easy way to reach a parent or caregiver.

  • Fill out a card for every family member, including pets, and laminate it (clear packing tape works fine).
  • Keep copies in every backpack, purse, or bag; in the car; anywhere a caregiver might need one; and attached to pet carriers or emergency leashes.
  • Adults should carry one too — it puts emergency numbers on hand even if your phone is dead or out of reach.
  • Include a reliable out-of-area contact (a cell phone with text capability is best), plus local emergency contacts, meeting places, evacuation sites, and anyone approved to pick up your child.

Download the fillable backpack emergency card (PDF) and print one for each person in your household.

Making a family plan with kids

A good family plan is flexible, and involving kids in it helps it actually work when it’s needed.

Who

Pick an out-of-area contact as your family’s information hub. This person can help connect family members who can’t reach each other directly, and relay updates to the rest of your extended network.

Make sure your child’s school, daycare, or summer camp has your emergency contacts on file, including the out-of-area contact. Consider listing a few extra people (a family from school, a neighbor) who could pick your child up if you can’t.

Where

Know the locations your family members are likely to be during the day — school and workplace addresses, with rough schedules — and write it in your go-bag. Know your child’s school or daycare’s emergency plan and where they may evacuate to. Think about how you will connect if an earthquake occurs at 6 am, 10 am, 2 pm, or 6 pm.

Sign up for AC Alerts and know your zone at home, as well as school and work. You can receive alerts for multiple locations.

Choose a family meeting place where you can meet if your home is not accessible. This can be a favorite park or a friend’s house.

How

Assume phone networks will be disrupted. Text messages sometimes get through when calls don’t, but plan for a paper trail too: post a note at each location if you move (for example, leaving a note at home that says where you’ve gone and your next destination) so anyone looking for you has something to go on.

In an earthquake: Drop, Cover, Hold away from windows and anything that could fall. Then Secure where you are (check gas and electricity if you’re home), Reunite with your kids and get to a safe place, and keep your out-of-area contact updated on your family’s status.

Coloring & activity pages

A set of preparedness-themed coloring and activity pages for younger kids — a fun, low-pressure way to introduce ideas like Drop, Cover, Hold On, family meeting places, and helping out during a disaster.

  • Download all coloring & activity pages (ZIP) — includes “Drop, Cover, Hold On,” “Help Joseph find the family meeting place” (a maze), “Maya has a flashlight,” “We help each other,” “We’re getting ready together,” and an “I can help by…” drawing prompt.

Video resources

Short videos are another easy way to introduce earthquake safety to kids, especially before a drill or family discussion.

“Kids Earthquake Safety – Disaster Dodgers”

Start small

You don’t need to do all of this at once. Print a backpack card for your kid tonight, watch the Drop, Cover, Hold On video together, and build from there.