Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: Guidance for ... - INEE Toolkit

On the Neighborhood Map mark vulnerabilities and resources such as: Emergency evacuation routes Tools (e.g., generator) Emergency vehicle routes Resource people Alternate assembly area, shelters, Transportation resourcesand safe havens Vulnerable populations (elderly, young Health facilitieschildren) Fire station Vulnerable building, roads, and facilities Hazardous materials sites Resource people for response and recovery Response provisions off-sitePost these maps on your school safety bulletin board, and make them part of your staffhandbook and staff orientation. Review and revise these maps as you develop and reviseyour disaster prevention plan.Contingency planning for educational continuityWhen students are out-of-school for any prolonged period of time, drop-out rates increase,resulting in lifelong negative impacts. Staff unemployment also follows. In additionto all of the steps taken for hazard and resource assessment, physical protection, andresponse capacity development, you will also need to have contingency plans for how tocontinue providing education to students as quickly as possible following hazard impact.This is especially true for schools that face recurring hazards such as annual floods. Alternatesites, temporary shelters, delivery of homework packets, radio and television deliveryof lessons are just some of the creative alternatives for making sure that educationcontinues. In the post-disaster period, students will also need to participate in recoveryefforts, and have time set aside for a variety of psychosocial support activities, and opportunitiesfor communal grief recovery, to ease their adjustment to the sudden lossesin their lives. This may include people, homes, jobs, communities and tangible culturalheritage.Your school, if in good condition, may also be called upon to be used as an emergencyshelter, further disrupting education. If you use private services for security, catering andtransportation, these companies should be included in your planning process. Have memorandaof understanding ahead of time with engineers who can inspect your building forsafety, water pumping equipment providers, and various other contingency steps can betaken in advance and speed your recovery.School Disaster Management13