We have recently witnessed a terrible scenario in Haiti, when disaster in the form of a massive earthquake struck. Many children, as well as adults, instantaneously became injured and/or homeless. Children lost parents, parents lost children of every age.

This was certainly a frightening time for many Haitian families, and a time when many Americans felt helpless just watching the crisis unfold on television. The level of volunteer participation and donations to charitable organizations focused on relief to Haiti during the aftermath of the disaster was amazing! Yet how well we know, there aren't enough volunteers, charitable organizations, or governmental/non-governmental organizations focused on Haiti presently to completely resolve Haiti's mounting child safety issues--and it comes down to the fact that donations alone don't keep kids safe in times of disaster--honest, conscientious and caring people do.

We hope we never need to use certain of these recommendations, but they are good to bear in mind to make sure there's a fallback position, in case parents are unavailable during a crisis for whatever reason.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children advocates that we each do the following for our children's sake vis-à-vis natural disasters. In recent weeks, several different states have experienced tornados and flooding.

Simple rules come in handy in a time of chaos and crisis as families can be separated in moments, especially when evacuation is required. Here are NCMEC's important tips for parents, family members, babysitters, and childcare providers:

Know where your kids are at all times.

Stay together, if at all possible.

Take photos of your children, have them with you when evacuated.

Give children identification information to carry with them, including the child's name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, etc. If a child is too young or otherwise unable to speak for him- or herself, consider writing his/her name, date of birth, parents' names, home address, and telephone/cell numbers somewhere on the child's body in indelible marker.

E-mail current digital photos of all family members to extended relatives and/or friends.

Photocopy important documents and mail to a friend/relative to be kept in a safe location.

Make a plan with your children, so they know what to do if your family becomes separated during an evacuation.