Emergency & Disaster Preparedness
This page contains information and resources to help School Food Authorities plan, prepare and respond to emergencies and disasters (natural or manmade) that affect school food service operations.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), Southeast Regional Office, reminds us of the resources available at the FNS Disaster Assistance website. On this website you will find the recently updated Disaster Nutrition Assistance Programs Brochure (FNS-483) which highlights information from the disaster fact sheets on the website all of the FNS disaster programs.
Guidance
- September 7, 2017 Memo - Disaster Preparedness
- September 7, 2017 Memo to SN Admins - Providing Meals to Students Who Reside in or Are Evacuated from Disaster Areas
- Brochure - Plan for Emergencies...Ensure Children Continue Good Nutrition During Unexpected School Closures - Summer Nutrition Programs
- SP 55-2016 - Meal Service during Unanticipated School and Day Care Closures
- SP 46-2014 - Disaster Response (May 19, 2014)
ICN Resources
Includes:
Contact Directory Template (Forms A-1 thru A-10), Local Community Resources (Forms B-1 thru B-3), Standard Operating Procedures (Forms C-1 thru C-5), Emergency Foodservice Inventory (Form D-1), Menus (Form E-1), Community Relief Organizations (Form F-1)
USDA Resources
- Child Nutrition Programs During Disaster
- Disaster Nutrition Assistance
- A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms & Hurricanes
- Preparing for a Weather Emergency
- Biosecurity Checklist for School Foodservice Programs: Developing a Biosecurity Management Plan
- National Preparedness Month
- North Carolina Critical Incident Response for School Faculty and Staff
- FEMA - Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans
- Updated Guidance for Homeless Children in the School Nutrition Programs (Apr 4, 2002)
- McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison Toolkit
- Question to Consider When Preparing for Crisis Situations
- Things to consider for Emergency Preparedness
Pandemic Resources
- September 7, 2017 Memo - Disaster Preparedness
- September 7, 2017 Memo to SN Admins - Providing Meals to Students Who Reside in or Are Evacuated from Disaster Areas
- Brochure - Plan for Emergencies...Ensure Children Continue Good Nutrition During Unexpected School Closures - Summer Nutrition Programs
- SP 55-2016 - Meal Service during Unanticipated School and Day Care Closures
- SP 46-2014 - Disaster Response (May 19, 2014)
- Emergency Readiness Plan: Guide and Forms for the School Foodservice Operation (ICN)
- Emergency Readiness Plan: A Guide for the School Foodservice Operation
- Emergency Readiness Plan Forms
Includes:
Contact Directory Template (Forms A-1 thru A-10), Local Community Resources (Forms B-1 thru B-3), Standard Operating Procedures (Forms C-1 thru C-5), Emergency Foodservice Inventory (Form D-1), Menus (Form E-1), Community Relief Organizations (Form F-1)
- Child Nutrition Programs During Disaster
- Disaster Nutrition Assistance
- A Consumer's Guide to Food Safety: Severe Storms & Hurricanes
- Preparing for a Weather Emergency
- Biosecurity Checklist for School Foodservice Programs: Developing a Biosecurity Management Plan
- National Preparedness Month
- North Carolina Critical Incident Response for School Faculty and Staff
- FEMA - Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans
- Updated Guidance for Homeless Children in the School Nutrition Programs (Apr 4, 2002)
- McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison Toolkit
- Question to Consider When Preparing for Crisis Situations
- Things to consider for Emergency Preparedness
COVID-19 Guidance for Schools Opening
- Governor Cooper - Thank You Message to School Nutrition Teams
- CDC – Schools and Childcare – Plan, Prepare and Respond
- NCDPI – Lighting Our Way Forward: North Carolina’s Guidebook for Reopening Public Schools
COVID-19 Guidance for Ensuring Health and Safety
- NCDPI and NCDHHS - Guidelines for Ensuring Health and Safety for School Nutrition Staff and Children and Families Receiving School Nutrition Services
- NCDHHS - Food Safety Guidance for School Meal Delivery
- NCDHHS - Interim Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Guidance for School Nutrition and Transportation Personnel (rev 3.31.2020)
- NCDHHS, Division of Public Health, Environmental Health Section – Emergency Preparedness and Response
- NCDPI – COVID-19 Safety Toolkit for NC School Nutrition Programs (03.05.2021)
Approved FNS Waivers during COVID-19
- USDA FNS Actions to Respond to COVID-19
- NCDPI - Recap of Approved USDA Waivers in Response to COVID-19 (Word Version)
- NCDPI - Recap of Approved USDA Waivers in Response to COVID-19 (Excel Version)
Technical Assistance/Professional Development
- NCDPI and NCSU Extension – COVID-19 Management for School Nutrition Course
- NCDPI - Strategies to Include Milk with Summer Meals
- The Dairy Alliance - Strive for 35
- Washington Dairy - Milk Conversion Chart
- School Nutrition Association (SNA) – COVID-19 Back to School Resources
North Carolina Meal Ordering System
NCDPI, School Nutrition Services continues to collaborate with Chef Cyndie and the N.C. K-12
Culinary Team to provide resources to assist you in nourishing students’ minds, bodies and souls. COVID-19 may have changed the landscape of School Nutrition, but it has not changed the mission to provide safe, wholesome, appealing meals to students.
NCDPI applauds School Nutrition Program efforts to develop online meal ordering systems.
Thank you and congratulations to the many SFAs across the state experiencing success!
If you have not yet set up online ordering for school meals but are short on time, resources, software to make the dream a reality, the N.C. Online Meal Ordering System may be of assistance. The N.C. Online Ordering System Template is a free and easy tool created by Chef Cyndie and the N.C. K-12 Culinary Team using Google Forms which allows School Nutrition
Programs to set up your own online meal ordering system. Use the video tutorial instructions (see below) to learn the steps for customizing the tool and using it to manage online meal orders.
- Instructions for Using and Customizing the Meal Order Form in Google Forms and Google Sheets (9.16.2020)
Includes:- Materials Needed
- Links to forms
- Instructions for Customizing the order form
- Sending the Form
- Compiling Orders
- and Bonus Tips