Natural Disaster: School Safety Guide

Every year, schools across the country face the devastating impacts of natural disasters. A school prepares for any eventuality, ensuring the safety of every child. This guide aims to ensure school natural disaster safety through:

Understanding Common Natural Disasters and Their Impact on Schools
Developing a Comprehensive School Emergency Preparedness Plan
Essential Safety Measures for Protecting Students During a Natural Disaster
Training Staff and Students for Natural Disaster Readiness
Recovery and Crisis Management Post-Natural Disaster

Understanding Common Natural Disasters and Their Impact on Schools

Whether you watch the news or not, we are all aware of the common natural disasters that happen all around us. Now let's try to understand what they are and what kind of effects they have on our schools and especially our children.

Understanding the most common natural disasters and their consequences would allow us to better prepare a school disaster response plan for:

Floods
Thunderstorm
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Winter Storms
Hailstorms
Earthquakes

Floods

Flooding is the temporary overflow of water onto dry land. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, flooding accounts for 90% of all natural disasters in the United States. Failure to evacuate flooded areas or enter flood waters can result in injury or death.

Floods can disrupt school operations by destroying or damaging buildings and educational materials. The flood may also displace students and staff.

Thunderstorm

Thunderstorms are rain showers that produce thunder. Thunder is caused by lightning, so all thunderstorms feature lightning.

According to the National Weather Service, lightning is the second leading cause of storm-related deaths in the United States, killing more people than tornadoes and hurricanes. Lightning also causes serious injuries to many more people than it kills.

Thunderstorms can cause power outages and structural damage, compromising the safety and functionality of the school, its students, and faculty.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes bring dangerously high winds, heavy rain, and severe flooding to the affected areas.

Hurricanes can cause not only extensive damage to school infrastructure but also disruption of transportation and communication systems, resulting in extended school closures and rebuilding efforts.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are violently rotating air columns that travel from a thunderstorm to the ground. Every year, more than 1,000 tornadoes strike the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Tornadoes' violent winds and debris can cause severe damage to school buildings and endanger students and staff.

Winter Storms

A winter storm occurs when a large amount of snow or ice accumulates in a short period.

Blizzards are severe winter storms that combine blowing snow and wind, resulting in extremely poor visibility. A blizzard is defined by the National Weather Service as a winter storm with large amounts of snow or blowing snow, winds exceeding 35 mph, and visibility of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period (at least 3 hours).

Winter storms and blizzards can cause school closures due to hazardous travel conditions, heating system failures, and power outages.

Hailstorms

Hail is a type of precipitation made of solid ice that forms within thunderstorm updrafts.

Hailstorms can cause significant damage to school facilities, such as roofs and windows. These damages will necessitate repairs, which may disrupt the school. The hailstorm itself and the damage it caused pose a risk to students and staff.

Earthquakes

An earthquake is a violent shaking of the ground caused by the movement of rocks beneath the earth's surface.

Earthquakes can cause severe structural damage to not only school infrastructure but also all roads leading to the school.

Developing a Comprehensive School Emergency Preparedness Plan

Developing a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan is critical to preparing schools for natural disasters.

Risk Assessment and Planning: Conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify potential natural disasters that may occur around your school.
Analyze historical data on natural disasters that occurred in your area. For more information, see Ready.gov's Risk Assessment article.
Emergency Response Team: Form an emergency response team to be trained in disaster preparedness, response, and communication protocols.
For assistance or guidance in forming the ERT, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.
Communication Plan: Develop a clear communication system to be better prepared to manage crises and ensure the public receives timely and accurate information during emergencies.
You can use Tulane University - School of Public Health and Traditional Medicine's article to get you started.
Evacuation Routes and Shelters: Assign safe shelters within the school premises and mark the evacuation routes heading to them. Use this guide as a template.
Supplies and Equipment: Keep emergency supplies such as first aid kits, emergency rations, blankets, and communication devices well-stocked, checked, and updated regularly. The American Red Cross has a checklist on its website ready for you to use.

Essential Safety Measures for Protecting Students During a Natural Disaster

Protecting students during natural disasters is critical, so let's take these necessary precautions.

Regular Drills: To ensure the students and staff are familiar with the emergency procedures, conduct regular emergency drills. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) provides detailed guidelines.
Structural Safety: Perform risk assessments to better identify areas that need to be repaired or retrofitted to meet current building codes provided by the International Code Council (ICC).
Safe Zones and Secure Areas: As part of the emergency preparedness plan, safe zones, secure areas, and/or safety shelters are essential for keeping students and staff safe during natural disasters. These areas should be reinforced and prepared with emergency supplies.
Supplies and Equipment: Ensure that the supplies and equipment specified in the Emergency Preparedness Plan are available during a natural disaster. Here's Ready.gov's Disaster Kit, which you can copy for your school.
Training: Train students and staff to help them prepare for disasters.

Training Staff and Students for Natural Disaster Readiness

Now let’s go over the training that staff and students will need to help them prepare for natural disasters.

Disaster Awareness: First and foremost, educate everyone on the natural disasters that could happen to your school. Explain the science and the impact of these natural disasters.
Emergency Evacuation Drills: Conduct regular drills to familiarize students and staff with the evacuation routes and procedures.
Shelter-in-Place Training: Teach students how to evacuate the buildings, as well as when and where to go when disaster strikes
First Aid and CPR Training: When disaster strikes, the chance of injuries increases; train both staff and students in first aid. This may be the deciding factor in their ability to save a friend's life.
Crisis Communication Training: Teach your staff how to use the communication plan that your school has created.
Psychological First Aid Training: During natural disasters, we mainly focus on the physical injuries of our students, but we should not forget their mental state. Train your staff to recognize signs of trauma and provide immediate help.
Use of Emergency Equipment: After preparing emergency equipment to help you when a natural disaster strikes, train both staff and students to use these tools effectively.
Collaborative Training with Local Emergency Services: Remember that when disaster strikes, many government rescue and support teams will do everything they can to save everyone. Organize joint training sessions with your local emergency services to ensure a timely and coordinated response during a disaster.

Recovery and Crisis Management Post-Natural Disaster

The natural disaster may have passed, and now we must deal with its aftermath. Follow these guidelines to help your students and staff.

Immediate Assessment: Immediately evaluate the disaster's damage and the safety of the school infrastructure. FEMA provides guidelines for conducting a preliminary damage assessment.
Psychological Support: Psychological first aid may not be sufficient; continue to provide support and counseling services to assist students and staff in dealing with trauma.
Restoration Services: Collaborate with your local government to restore critical services such as water, electricity, and communications.
Community Engagement: Recovery efforts can be aided by community support. Organize volunteer efforts and fundraisers to aid your school's recovery. The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) respond to disasters across the country, and they may be able to assist your school as well.
Review and Update Plans: Review and update your school's emergency preparedness plans. Based on your disaster experience, improve your plans to be better prepared for future incidents.

Conclusion

Natural disasters pose significant risks to schools, but with proper planning and proactive measures, we can ensure school natural disaster safety for our students and staff.

We can reduce the impact of natural disasters by understanding them, developing a comprehensive school disaster response plan for protecting students during natural disasters, putting in place critical safety measures, and providing adequate training.

Start by conducting a risk assessment today, and take the first step towards preparing schools for natural disasters. Together, we can make a difference.