Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters

Section 2: Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human-Generated Disasters

The two dangers, I have selected are hurricane and terrorist attack. I will begin with a terrorist attack on a preschool. A terrorist has entered the school with a gun. The main danger is harm or possible death. The people at risk are the children and staff. You should be prepared for the attack. Staff should plan for a terrorist attack. A plan in place will make things run smoothly and keep the children free from danger. Having a prepared plan could help to save lives. The consequences of not preparing are possibly not having any survivors.

                                                 Terrorist attack plans

 To make plans in advance for a terrorist attack, first evaluate the school. Have a map of the building. It is important to know the layout of the school to make your plans. All staff should talk about the plans and agree with each other. Staff should have a code word. This will alert all staff an attack has begun. Use of a code word will alleviate stress for children. Upon hearing the code word call 911. I would have a team member assign to this task ahead of time. Have plans for a safe hiding place. Have buzzer system installed. The buzzer system is to allow people in and out of the building. I believe it should be run by the same staff member daily. So they would recognize a stranger faster.  People will show ID before buzzing them into school. Plan to have a parking lot gated. Have an emergency evacuation plan. Teachers and staff should practice the evacuation plan. Keep a chart of where exits and first aid kits and daily attendance records are kept. Place chart in easy to get at place. Have an Emergency Survival Supplies Checklist. Send the lists home and ask parents to supply items on the list.

 “As teachers, we are protectors of children and should do our utmost to keep their environment safe from any violent act, including terrorism.”

If this disaster occurs, I would first remain calm. I do not want to upset children. I would announce the code word. Then I would call 911. Then I would follow the plan set in place. I would assess the risks by looking around in the area.  I will also evaluate the children to see if anyone is harmed. I will assess by taking a count of children and making sure all are present according to attendance records. I would do the same for both disasters. For the hurricane, I would leave out the code word.

Potential complications for this disaster could be a child is stuck under a table. A child happens to be in the bathroom at the time of attack and is unaware of the attack. The attendance records are wrong. Someone was marked on the list and is not in school that day. You could be searching for a child who is not even there. These are potential complications for both hurricane and terrorist attack. With a hurricane, some potential complications could be more outside then inside. Trees can fall and into things blocking doors. Rain could be heavy causing floods.

Some other steps would be to provide knowledge about terrorist attacks.  This would help to prepared and handle this crisis. This could be finished with books, games and videos. Having terrorist attack drills would also help the children prepare for this crisis. This would be prepared for both hurricane and terrorist attacks.

In this disaster, of a terrorist attack it would be helpful to have plenty of first aid supplies. You might be dealing with gun shots that have hit children or adults.

I would involve the families by asking for supplies from the Emergency Survival supplies checklist. I would send home booklets on the topic. I would also send a copy of the plans set in place for this disaster. This would be done for both hurricane and terrorist attack.

                                                  Hurricane

Next we will talk about a hurricane. There is a hurricane on the way, and the children are at school. The main danger is injury or damage. The people at risk are children and staff and also the community. You should be prepared for the hurricane. You need to have a plan in place to keep everyone safe and healthy. Being prepared saves lives. The consequence, of not preparing is loss of lives. So the best thing to do is prepared for disasters.      

                                               Advance Plans

To make plans in advance for a hurricane draw up an emergency evacuation plan. Have a survival procedure plan that includes a safe place at school. Make sure parents know the site of the safe place. Have a map of the building to show where exit doors, windows and first aid items are located.  “It is a good idea to keep copies of all children’s emergency information in a fireproof portable file because this allows teachers access to information quickly. File should contain emergency contacts and so forth.”

Plan a checklist of items needed for survival. Do practice drills with this idea in mind. Have food and water in storage. In your plans be sure to consider the children with disabilities or special needs.

                                                  Supplies

In a hurricane, it would be helpful to have plenty of food and water and first aid supplies. Blankets would also be helpful if windows break. Blankets can be used for warmth and covering windows. Extra flashlights and plenty of batteries will go a long way in the dark. A transistor radio to hear emergency broadcasts and local news updates could tell you when it is safe to go outside.

With all disasters, the best line of defense is being prepared. So prepare all your disaster plans now. You will help save lives.

References:

(Robertson (2013-02-01). Safety, Nutrition and Health, in Early Education (Page 191)

(Robertson (2013-02-01). Safety, Nutrition and Health, in Early Education (Page 193)