Utility of Child Physical Characteristics and Verbal Descriptors to Aid in Family Reunification During Disasters

This article evaluated which physical characteristics were most useful in reuniting parents and children after a disaster. The authors found that gender, eye color, and race were the most useful in identification, while descriptions of hair and skin color were less useful for reunification. Other personal information, such as whether the family had a pet, facilitated rapid reunification. The authors conclude some types of information are more useful than others when reunifying families after a disaster.