FIVE YEARS AFTER KATRINA, REPORT REVEALS IOWA UNPREPARED TO PROTECT CHILDREN DURING DISASTERS

Save the Children's U.S. Programs reveals Iowa missing four key safeguards for children in disasters

Note: report is available at http://www.savethechildren.org/publications/reports/2010-Disaster-Report.pdf

Washington, D.C., July 22, 2010?Almost five years after Hurricane Katrina, a new report reveals that Iowa meets zero out of four minimum criteria for protecting children in disasters.  Ninety percent of U.S. children live in an area at risk of a natural disaster, and terrorists can strike anywhere.  Iowa lacks basic protections for kids such as requiring all licensed child care centers to have a plan to reunite children with their families or requiring them to have plans for children with special needs.

The report is the second disaster preparedness report released by Save the Children's U.S. Programs.  The 2010 year report found that 38 states and the District of Columbia did not meet all four basic criteria and that Iowa was one of seven states to meet zero criteria.

Hurricane Katrina demonstrated what can happen when children are not accounted for in disaster planning:

· 5,192 children were reported missing after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the last child was not found until six months later.

· About 50,000 Louisiana and Mississippi children missed school in the 2005-2006 school year and approximately 15,000 did not attend in the 2006-2007 school year.

· More than a third of Louisiana children experienced clinically-diagnosed depression, anxiety, or another behavior disorder after the storm.

"Five years after Hurricane Katrina, it is unacceptable for states to ignore these low-cost and common-sense safeguards for kids," said Mark Shriver, Save the Children U.S. Programs Senior Vice President. "There are 67 million kids in school or child care on any given day in the U.S., separated from their families and dependent on the government to ensure protections.  The most vulnerable Iowans in the most vulnerable settings are made more vulnerable because of government inaction."

Currently, 12 states meet all four standards, which is five more than in the 2009 report.  All five states that qualified in 2010 for the first time worked with Save the Children's U.S. Programs to meet the standards and, in many cases, adopted the exact same language as outlined in the 2009 report.

Commissioned by Save the Children and conducted by Brown Buckley Tucker, the report reviewed four key standards identified by Save the Children: plans for evacuation, reunification with families and evacuation for special needs kids at child care facilities, as well as evacuation plans at schools.

Save the Children urges the adoption of all four standards by states as well as federal passage of the Child Safety, Care, and Education Continuity Act of 2010 (H.R. 5240/S. 2898), which would require states to adhere to many of the same standards..  Congresswoman Corrine Brown (D-FL) is the sponsor of the House legislation, and Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) are the sponsors of the Senate measure.

DAVENPORT, Iowa - The Journey of Hope North team will arrive in Davenport on Wednesday, July 22. The team will arrive at Clarion Inn, where lodging is provided for the night at 11:30 a.m. They will have lunch at Happy Joe's at 1 p.m. That evening, the team will have dinner and a Friendship Visit at the Seduary Pool at 6 p.m. The three teams of the Journey of Hope will spend over two months cycling an average of 75 miles a day from city to city visiting with people and organizations that help people with disabilities.

What: The Journey of Hope, organized by Push America, is a cycling trek that raises funds and awareness on behalf of people with disabilities in hopes to enhance the quality of their lives. Every cyclist commits to raising at least $5,000 on behalf of people with disabilities before the trip begins. Combine their individual efforts with corporate sponsorships and the Journey of Hope 2010 teams have raised more than $500,000 for people with disabilities.

When: Thursday, July 22.

Where: Happy Joe's

201 W 50th Street

Seduary Pool

1800 W. 12th Street

Who: Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity members from across the country.

Other media opportunities: Please contact on-site coordinator David Hamrick for details about team location while cycling into Davenport for photos, interviews or any other media opportunity.

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Since 1940, ROSS' Restaurant has been serving home style, 24 hour, diner loving goodness to the Quad Cities. Known nationally for their famous Magic Mountain, ROSS' has been a staple in many Quad City family's memories for over 3 generations. Still run by the family of founder, Harold Ross, the restaurant has evolved from the diner of yesteryear, into a locally committed partner in today's quest for more conscious food sources.  Ross' has always featured local produce seasonally, even back in the day when farmer's would bring fresh tomatoes, etc. right to the back door.

ROSS' is very proud to announce our new partnership with Local Harvest and Farmer's Hen House, a small, locally owned egg company that produces some of the freshest, most responsibly produced, and humane cage free eggs available. Not only are Farmers' Hen House eggs responsibly produced, taste great and are healthier for you, but they also provide local Iowa farmers with a way to keep their small farms sustainable.  It is our greatest desire that by investing in Iowa's economy, we are investing in the customer's that have stood by us and made us the longest running restaurant in the Quad Cities. 

Ross' is also featuring local, organic produce in our summer specials and menu items.

IOWA FILMMAKERS HAVE WORLD PREMIERE AT LA SHORTS FEST
THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF A SMALL IOWA TOWN

Iowa Produced Film, Impulse, will Premiere at an International Film Festival.

LOS ANGELES - July 20, 2010 - This week the LA Shorts Fest hosts the world premiere of Impulse starring Chris Masterson, best known from FOX's hit show Malcolm in the Middle. The film, directed by Iowa filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods, is a thriller in which deadly events unfold as a man races to his final and most significant act.

Scott Beck & Bryan Woods have been writing, directing, and producing films under their production company banner Bluebox Limited Films since 1996. To date, they have produced 5 feature-length films and 14 shorts. Impulse was co-produced with frequent collaborator Christy Sullivan and development executive Darren Brandl. Post production services were completed at top entertainment post-houses such as The Village Recorder (WALL·E, Walk the Line), Company 3 (Transformers 2, Star Trek), and George Lucas' Skywalker Sound (Avatar, Toy Story 3). The filmmakers, who recently secured a development deal with MTV, grew up in Iowa and have continued to shoot all of their projects in the state, despite working primarily out of Los Angeles.

"Due to the ambition of the project, the production scale for Impulse is much larger than most short films. Without the incredible help from people throughout Iowa, this film couldn't have happened," stated Scott Beck. Bryan Woods continued, "The entire city of Perry, Iowa (the base of production) facilitated the film. The city council, local business owners, police and firefighters all offered their assistance." The cast and crew for Impulse also consisted of local Midwest talent. "We are always humbled by the talent, resources and kindness we find throughout the Midwest," said the filmmakers.

The world premiere of Impulse will take place on July 29, 2010 at the LA Shorts Fest, which honors individuals who have achieved excellence in short films. As the largest short film festival in the world, the event has become the industry standard for showcasing and awarding undiscovered talent. This year the LA Shorts Fest boasts an incredible line up.  Producer Paula Wagner (Vanilla Sky, War of the Worlds, Mission Impossible III) is heading the jury, which also includes Iowa native Tom Arnold.  Five films by Ridley Scott Associates, and shorts starring top talents such as Will Ferrell, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Seth Rogen, John C. Reilly, Christina Ricci, and Keira Knightley will be presented. Many of these performers, as well as Impulse's lead actor Chris Masterson, will walk the red carpet at the opening event this Thursday, July 22, 2010. As officially recognized by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, award-winning films are eligible to compete for an Oscar nomination. In the past, 33 films have received Oscar nominations with 11 winning the coveted Oscar statue.

About Bluebox Limited Films
More information about Bluebox Limited Films can be found at www.blueboxlimited.com.

About LA Shorts Fest
More information about the LA Shorts Fest can be found at lashortsfest.com.

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