Appendix F: Issue Report Instructions
The Issue Report should be completed before the assessment team demobilizes from the incident. It serves as the final deliverable for the Children's Environmental Health Post-Disaster Assessment mission. This report summarizes the key concerns identified during the assessment process and is intended to support strategic planning for the recovery team. Its purpose is to inform state, tribal, territorial, local, and federal recovery partners about the environmental health and safety issues that are most pressing to the community and most likely to impact children's health and well-being. While the report should not include formal recommendations unless specifically requested by leadership, it is intended to support discussion, coordination, and planning of future interventions and mitigation activities.
The following sections must be included in every Issue Report. Each plays an essential role in documenting the assessment process and summarizing key findings.
Overview: A brief summary of the disaster or incident and a description of how the assessment team gathered the information in the report.
Partners: A list of all partners who contributed to the assessment or supported the process. This may include federal, state, tribal, territorial, local, and non-governmental (NGO) partners.
Key Environmental Health & Safety Concerns: Organized by topic or theme and listed from highest to lowest priority. Each concern should include a clear heading and a short explanation supported by bullet points or brief descriptions.
Engagement Methods: A description of how information was gathered, including who was engaged, through what methods (e.g., interviews, site visits, focus groups), and why these approaches were selected.
Completed or Ongoing Mitigation Activities: Any known actions that have already been taken to address identified issues, whether by local programs, community partners, or recovery agencies.
Additional sections may be included as needed to provide context or supporting detail. These elements can help paint a fuller picture of local conditions and inform future recovery planning.
Schedule/Timeline: A summary of when and how engagements occurred. This may be included as a narrative, calendar, or simple timeline.
Voices from the Community: Direct quotes or paraphrased insights that elevate local concerns and perspectives. These should add emotional or cultural depth to the findings.
Data Sources and Validation: A summary of sources used to support findings, including environmental monitoring data, government reports, or scientific literature. Could also describe how concerns were validated.
Photographs or Visual Documentation: Relevant images from site visits or community partners, if available and permitted, that help illustrate concerns or community context.
Limitations and Gaps: A short section identifying any known gaps in data, partners not yet engaged, or topics that require further exploration.
After the Overview and Partners sections, the remaining sections of the Issue Report may be organized in the order that best supports the story of the assessment and the needs of the recovery team. The sequence does not need to follow a strict template and can be adapted to fit the flow of information or emphasize local priorities. Appendix H provides an example Issue Report based on a fictional rural community. This sample is intended to illustrate one possible format and writing style; however, there are many acceptable ways to structure and present the findings.
Assessment Team members are encouraged to use the example as a reference—not a requirement—and adapt their approach to match the specific circumstances and context of their work.
Briefly describe the disaster or incident that led to the assessment. Include relevant details such as the type of disaster, when and where it occurred, and the populations or areas most affected. Summarize the activities the team undertook to gather information (e.g., interviews, site visits, community meetings) and the general timeframe of the assessment. This section sets the context for the findings that follow.
List all partners who contributed to the assessment and development of the Issue Report. This may include state, tribal, territorial, and local government entities, federal agencies, community-based organizations, NGOs, schools, and others. Including these names helps document collaboration and shows the breadth of engagement across the recovery effort. Add embedded links to agency websites as appropriate.
Summarize and organize the main environmental health and safety concerns identified during the assessment, prioritizing those most likely to impact children and families. Use clear subheadings for each concern and support them with short, specific bullet points. Order the concerns from highest to lowest priority based on the local context and what was heard most often during engagements.
Look for recurring themes or issues that connect multiple categories, such as housing damage, disrupted infrastructure, or limited services. If present, describe these cross-cutting concerns at the beginning of this section to help readers understand the broader context.
Avoid technical jargon and focus on how the issues affect children, caregivers, and community programs. Whenever possible, include community perspectives and real-world examples that help illustrate the concern.
Briefly describe how information was gathered for the assessment. Include a summary of methods used, such as listening sessions, interviews, site visits, or review of local documents. Highlight efforts to include a diverse range of voices and perspectives, especially those representing children's programs and vulnerable groups.
Describe any steps that have already been taken to address the identified issues. This might include local cleanup efforts, reopened childcare programs, health screenings, public education campaigns, or new policies. Including this information provides a more complete picture of the recovery landscape. It also helps recovery partners avoid duplicative activities and better target future resources where they are needed most.
(Optional) If helpful, include a summary of the engagement schedule, such as dates of community meetings, site visits, interviews, or key milestones. This can provide context for the timing of the findings and demonstrate how the team prioritized outreach.
(Optional) Use this section to highlight direct quotes or summarized perspectives from children's program partners, caregivers, or other community members. Including community voices helps illustrate the lived experiences behind the findings and ensures that the concerns of affected populations are meaningfully represented.
(Optional) Provide a brief explanation of how the findings were validated and what types of data were used. This may include information about how community concerns were cross-checked against environmental monitoring data, health surveillance, or other credible sources. This section can also describe how patterns or repeated themes helped validate qualitative findings.
(Optional) Briefly note any limitations in the assessment process, such as time constraints, access challenges, language barriers, or missing data. This section may also highlight areas where further investigation is needed.