Appendix A: Landscape Assessment Instructions

The landscape assessment provides a foundational understanding of the affected community's demographics, children's programs, and environmental health context. This report serves two key purposes: (1) to equip recovery personnel for informed, targeted engagement with local stakeholders, and (2) to support the federal recovery leadership team identify priority children's programs for engagement and focus interviews on the most relevant environmental health concerns.

Community Demographics

Community demographic data help frame the overall landscape of children's needs and are essential for identifying populations that may require targeted outreach. Teams should begin by reviewing existing reports such as the ASPR Health, Education, and Human Services Recovery Support Function (HEHS-RSF) Mission Placemat or FEMA's Community Assistance Tool. These sources often contain synthesized demographic and vulnerability data relevant to disaster recovery, but generally capture pre-disaster, moment-in-time information about the community.

If additional detail or local context is needed, teams should consult open-source datasets such as:

• The U.S. Census Bureau's data.census.gov for population breakdowns by age, race/ethnicity, language, income, housing, and more

• State or county-level Geographic Information System (GIS) portals for maps and layered data (e.g., population density, school locations, broadband access)

• The CDC's Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and PLACES Project for social determinants of health

• Local government websites or planning documents for contextual reports on growth trends, infrastructure, or service gaps

Demographic data should focus on characteristics relevant to children and youth, such as:

• Total population and number/percent of children (0–17)

• Racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity

• Household income and child poverty rates

• Housing stability and access to transportation

• Educational enrollment and special populations (e.g., students with disabilities, English learners)

Children's Programs

To inform recovery planning and guide future assessment activities, develop a preliminary inventory of children's programs in the affected community. In coordination with state and federal recovery leadership, determine which program types are most relevant to the current mission.

This section provides a high-level census of children's programs across five key service areas:

• Child Care

• Education

• Health

• Protection & Juvenile Justice

• Youth & Community Services

Where available, include quantitative information such as the number of providers, enrollment or service counts, and geographic coverage. This data can help prioritize site visits, identify critical populations, and support recovery planning.

More detailed guidance, including definitions and key considerations for each program area, is available on the linked Children's Program Resource Pages.