Wisconsin’s tornado season usually runs from April to September, with the peak being in June. Although there’s a very low chance of a worst-case scenario, you still want to be prepared for the sake of everyone who enters your building. This article will give you considerations on how to prepare, act, and then recover should you and your community ever be affected by a tornado or another natural disaster:
Have Your Emergency Operations Plan Ready
If there ever is a disaster, you’ll want everyone on the same page of the protocol, especially if communication is not attainable. That starts with having a plan. You probably already have a plan in case of an emergency, but is it thorough enough that everyone will know what to do without guidance? Check to see if your plan has some of these critical parts:
Emergency contacts: What is the contact information and location of your entity’s leaders and local groups, such as the community shelter and food providers?
Evacuation sites: When the disaster starts or after it is resolved, where do you direct your students and staff to ensure everyone’s safety?
Disaster response roles and actions: Who are the staff members responsible for certain roles? Who will distribute supplies, contact parents about the situation, reach out to the media, etc.?
Drills: You most likely have run through fire, tornado, and other drills, but is the process written down somewhere for easy reference? If someone panics and needs guidance, will they know where to get the step-by-step instructions and help them stay calm?
You can add quite a bit to your action and response plan, so add whatever will be helpful for you and your staff to review and reference as necessary to be ready if the moment ever comes.
Have a Secure Supply of Emergency Kits
In case of the need to shelter in place or a loss of property, you might suddenly have a supply issue to keep everyone fed and healthy. The CDC recommends schools have enough supplies to cover three days' worth of sheltering if you cannot leave the building. Having basic supplies in a secure location can be a lifesaver that your staff can access and distribute. Even if it might not be for your students, you don’t know if your building might become a place of refuge for the community. Whatever kit you plan, make sure you include these items:
Food
Water
Medication
First aid kits
Hygiene products
Communication devices or guide
It might not mean much at the moment, but, in the situation someone loses everything, it can mean a lot to have these kits available.
Recover from the Disaster
Though the crisis might last an hour or a couple of days, the recovery process can last years or decades. There’s a variety of different topics you’ll need to address:
Mental Health and PTSD: A traumatic event can have long-lasting implications on people’s mental health, especially in terms of feeling safe and dealing with stress. How you help people with their individual crises will change depending on their age, how close they were involved with the disaster, and if they were involved with life-altering situations. Get counselors who specialize in your particular need to help guide them to a healthier mindset.
Media Strategy: The media can be both a tool and a hindrance in getting your message and the facts out to the general community. With the community looking for answers for what might have happened at your building, you’ll want to provide something so the media doesn’t unnecessarily report speculation. Whatever you provide to the media, you’ll want to stick to the facts. Give them the who, what, where, and when as clear as possible, and don’t speculate on anything you don’t know.
Addressing the Community: In addition to the media, the community will have its own response to the crisis and recovery. If they were personally affected, they may look for resources to help them through their struggle. If they weren’t, they might be looking to donate or volunteer to help the situation. Each community will be different and bring different struggles and requests, some of which you could never expect. As such, you’ll want to be knowledgeable about policies and laws to know what you can and can’t provide as an organization.
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Any natural disaster, as well as man-made disasters, can make it very hard to recover. However, the goal should be to prepare for any situation you encounter as best you can. The more you can prepare now, the better prepared you and those around you will be. Planning and preparation, even if you never use them at your current location, can give you the knowledge and experience you need to help those around you if the need arises.
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Bloomz
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Cook Center for Human Connection
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School Health
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