Expect the Unexpected
Preparing children for disasters
Canada experiences floods, ice storms, tornados, public health crises, blackouts and forest fires. Intended for educators and parents, the free Expect the Unexpected program is designed to help youth and their family deal with the impact of natural disasters and adopt disaster preparedness behaviours. The Canadian Red Cross is grateful to the American Red Cross for permitting the adaptation of their Masters of Disasters™ program in order to create the Expect the Unexpected program.
Expect the Unexpected fits with Social Studies, Science and Technology, Health and Physical Education curriculums. The program provides a variety of teaching and communications aids for teachers or educators, students and their parents, including facilitator’s guides, activity booklets, videos, posters and participation certificates for students.
There is three modules, each intended for a specific age group. Each teaches young people how to act safely in case of unexpected events and helps them deal with emergencies. There is an additional module for parents.
- It can happen, be ready is intended for 7-8 year old students.
- Facing the unexpected, be prepared is intended for 10-11 year old students.
- Be ready, be safe is intended for 12-13 year old students.
Independent evaluations
An independent impact analysis (PDF, 250kb) of the program implemented by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction indicates that:
- Teachers gave the program an A or B score.
- 89 % of the children who participated in the program enjoyed it.
- 16 % of the students who participated shared information with their parents. Of those households, 51 % indicated that the information provided by their children prompted them to take emergency preparedness measures.
- 73 % of the households that participated in the study indicated they would like to be more active in prevention / preparedness.
Expect the Unexpected is recommended by:
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The Weather Network promotes disaster preparedness, international programs, water safety and first aid programs for the Canadian Red Cross through television and website campaigns. When severe weather or natural disasters strike, The Weather Network and the Canadian Red Cross support each other by acting as a reliable information source for Canadians. We also partner to run campaigns during Emergency Preparedness Week and in support of the Expect the Unexpected disaster preparedness program for Canadian schools. Visit http://www.theweathernetwork.com/
If you have any questions, feedback or experience technical difficulties, please contact us through our email address: expect@redcross.ca.
