47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

4.3 EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES4.3.1 BackgroundEducational facilities are considered critical facilities because,apart from their vital role in educating children, they arefrequently used during and after a storm as emergency shelters,or as staging centers by the National Guard, law enforcementpersonnel, or critical infrastructure repair crews for emergencyoperations. Educational facilities, in this case mostly K-12 schoolbuildings, are generally equipped with food preparation facilities,well distributed sanitary facilities, and ample space for personneland equipment.The primary function of a place of refuge shelter is the protectionof the occupants during a storm. This function is dependenton preservation of the structural integrity of the building andthe building envelope. The failure of a structural component ora breach in the building envelope can lead to casualties and canmake the buildings unusable as a recovery shelter after the storm.Educational facilities planned for use as place of refuge sheltersmust, above all, protect the lives and well-being of evacuees. To doso, they must be constructed to withstand storm surge or inlandflooding and wind impact. This means that they must be locatedin areas that minimize these storm effects. If they are located inthe areas subject to flooding and high-wind hazards, they need tobe constructed to preserve full functionality, with uninterruptedelectricity, communications, water, and sanitary service. This will4-26 OBSERVATIONS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF CRITICAL FACILITIES