SECTION 2
- DESIGNING YOUR PLAN
A. How to get Emergency
Weather Information?
Because tornadoes
occur with little, if any, warning, minutes and even seconds can mean lives.
In just five minutes, a tornado may travel two to four miles on the ground.
From the time the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a warning, to the time
you receive that warning via radio or television, ten minutes may have elapsed.
Also, you must be listening at the critical moment that the warning is announced
or an even greater amount of time will pass!
The fastest, most
accurate and reliable means of receiving critical weather information at your
school is through a NOAA Weather Radio with a "tone alert" feature.
NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is operated directly from NWS Offices and is part of
our country's National Warning System. When NWS issues a tornado warning, the
"tone alert" (at 1050 Hertz) is instantly sounded, followed by warning
information. The NWR uses three main frequencies: 162.4, 162.475, 162.55 MHz.
Four other frequencies within this range may be used to reduce interference.
Certain higher priced radios have a special feature allowing users to be notified
only if the warning is for their county. This feature is known as Specific Area
Message Encoding (SAME) technology.
Weather Radios with
tone alarms can be purchased between $30 and $80.
NOAA Weather Radio
was introduced across the county after a devastating outbreak of tornadoes and
severe thunderstorms struck the Midwest and Southeast killing 307 people and
injuring over 1000. This outbreak occurred on April 3-4, 1974 from Indiana down
to Georgia. Since its inception, NWR has been installed at over 400 locations
across the United States, with nearly 80 percent of the population being able
to receive broadcasts.
After a devastating tornado struck a church in Alabama on March 27, 1994, the
Vice- President re-affirmed the importance of having the NOAA Weather Radio
in schools, places of worship, and at other public gathering places. NWR expansion
continues across the United States with the goal of reaching 95 percent of the
population by 2003.
The NWR "tone
alert" feature is used for the issuance of all short fused weather Warnings
as well as severe thunderstorm, flash flood, and tornado Watches. (See Appendix
A for Watch/Warning definitions). NWR broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week. It gives the latest weather information from daily forecasts to special
weather statements about sudden shifts in the weather patterns or the development
of potentially hazardous weather. Besides its usefulness in severe weather situations,
the NWR can give school planners a heads-up regarding the onset of snow and
can be critical in school closing decisions. (For more information on NWR see
Appendix D & Appendix F.)
If your school is
not in a reliable NWR listening area (due to interference from mountains or
other sources) and will not be helped by attaching your radio to an exterior
antenna, then below are some suggested alternatives:
- Monitor your primary
Emergency Alert System (EAS) broadcast radio station(s) (see Appendix
E for listing). EAS operates on a cooperative agreement between broadcasters
and federal, state, and local government agencies. In Idaho, the EAS is activated
for all Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, and Flash Flood Warnings and short-fused
Blizzard Warnings.
- If you have cable
television access, the Weather Channel uses NWS products and broadcasts warnings
immediately upon receipt from NWS via a satellite link. Some cable companies
include a channel with a local NWS radar display and use NWR as a voice- over.
- Monitor local
radio or television news station(s).
Phone call-down
systems used in some states/counties are not advised for receipt of warning
information due to:
- time elapsed in
relaying information
- chance of incorrect
or incomplete information being passed
- lack of reliability
of phone systems during storms
- the NWS advises
people not to use telephones during an electrical storm because lightning
can travel through phone lines
Your radio or television
should be located in the main office or near the person(s) responsible for enacting
the plan. Main offices are good because generally there is always a number of
people around who could hear the alert, and in a quick emergency, it is close
to the public address (PA) system. If using a NWR, the radio should be set at
all times in "Alert" mode. Some radios will automatically turn on
when an alert sounds while others must be manually turned on. It is probably
better to have the type that automatically turns on in case you are out of the
room when the tone is activated. If using NWR, the information cycles every
few minutes, so if you don't get all the information you need the first time
through, it will repeat shortly.
Listen for the type of watch or warning and where it is in effect. The person(s)
monitoring must know what action they should take based on this information.
It is suggested that you have a map nearby for easy reference to counties and
towns to locate storms and their movement with reference to your school. There
is no need to take emergency action if the Warning is not for your location.
It should, however, heighten your awareness to the potential for severe weather
to affect your school district, especially if the warning is for storms that
are moving towards your district!
B. How will the
School Administration Alert Teachers and Students to Take Action?
Most schools utilize
a public address (PA) system to talk directly to students and teachers. In some
cases, electricity may be lost during a storm before you have activated your
plan. Therefore, it is critical to have a back-up alerting device such as a
compressed air horn or megaphone.
If your school has
mobile classrooms or detached gymnasiums that are not part of a PA or intercom
system, then special arrangements should be made to notify these areas. Sending
"runners" outside to mobile classrooms is not advisable due to the
danger posed by lightning and the approaching storm. Wireless communication
devices are an effective means for such communication. Hand held portables may
be the least expensive.
Handicapped or learning-disabled
students may also require special attention. You may want a teacher to be assigned
to each student requiring special attention to see that the student moves to
the appropriate place of safety. Any students that are in a position not to
hear the warning must be taken into account.
To ensure appropriate
action and understanding of your "Call to Action," you must exercise
your plan. (See part G of this section on drills and the need for severe weather
instruction.)
C. Determining Tornado and High Wind Safety Zones in Your School
This may be the
most time consuming and complex phase of designing your plan. Schools are sufficiently
complex and diverse in design that it is impossible to describe an exact plan
here that will apply to every school. Due to this complexity, it is recommended
that this phase of the plan be accomplished with the help of an engineer or
architect familiar with the school's design. There are, however, general guidelines
and basic concepts that can be discussed.
The greatest dangers
from high winds (tornado, thunderstorm downburst, etc.) are:
- roof failure
- breaking glass
- flying debris
(airborne missiles)
The most dangerous
locations generally are large rooms with big expansive roofs such as cafeterias,
gymnasiums, and auditoriums. The collapse of the room's load-bearing wall may
lead to the failure of the entire roof. Roofs tend to rely on gravity to keep
them attached. When strong winds act on a structure, pressure differences are
created causing outward pressure forces, acting to lift the roof (See Figure
1). Rooms with large windows that may shatter from being struck by airborne
missiles or from pressure stresses also are extremely dangerous. While windows
on the side of the school facing the storm are most susceptible, as the storm
passes, any windows could potentially shatter. Once winds enter a building,
additional damage can be like a domino effect. This is one of the reasons
that IT IS NO LONGER ADVISED THAT WINDOWS BE OPENED! Greater damage may
occur from this action and valuable time that should be used for getting to
safety is often lost.
Small interior rooms,
bathrooms, and windowless, interior hallways that are away from exterior doors
offer the best protection. Interior load-bearing walls (with short roof spans)
provide better protection than temporary or non-load-bearing walls and structures.
If your school has more than one story, evacuate the upper level of your school.
The lowest level is always the safest.
Schools designed
for the "open classroom" concept used in the early 1970s have a difficult
task of finding safe areas due to a lack of interior load-bearing walls, the
presence of large spanning roofs, and the use of a lot of glass. You may not
be able to find enough "ideal" space to occupy your whole student
body
It may be a matter
of determining the lesser of evils. Below is a list beginning with the highest
probability of failure:
- Windows on exterior
walls
- Rooms with large
roof spans; mobile classrooms
- Exterior walls
of upper level; roof
- Interior walls
of upper level; exterior walls of lower level and interior glass.
- Interior, lower
level, non-load-bearing walls.
Fortunately, the
majority of tornadoes will not destroy well constructed buildings and damage
in about 70% of cases should not go beyond #2 in the above list. Using these
considerations, you may want to rank areas according to safety. Then begin by
filling the safest areas first with students and continue until you have found
space for the entire student body.
Again, it is
best to have an engineer or architect advise your school on the safest areas
since schools are built with varied designs and purposes. The priorities listed
above are based on broad generalities.
D. Determining When to Activate Your Plan and When it is Safe to Return to Normal
Activities
When deciding to
activate a plan, you must use as much information as possible about the type
of storms, expected impact and time of impact on your school district to assess
the risk. A plan may work best with phases of activation. For instance, outdoor
activities will be the most susceptible to weather hazards, with lightning being
the greatest threat. As soon as thunder is heard (not when the rain begins),
outdoor activities should be delayed. The delay should last until the storm
has passed and thunder is no longer heard (about 5 to 10 minutes has elapsed
since last heard). (See Appendix C on lightning safety.)
In a Tornado or
Severe Thunderstorm Watch, outdoor activities should be postponed and as storms
approach, you may want to move students from the most susceptible areas such
as mobile classrooms and gymnasiums as a precaution even though a warning has
yet to be issued. You may want to post teachers or school personnel trained
in spotting severe weather to watch the storms as they approach for the need
to take special actions (see Section 3 on severe weather
spotter training).
If a Severe Thunderstorm
Warning is issued, all of the above actions are warranted. In addition to strong
damaging winds, severe thunderstorms may produce large hail and students should
be moved out of areas with skylights. If you have areas where large exterior
windows may be struck by the storm's winds, it is advised to keep students out
of these areas as well until the storm passes.
If
a Tornado Warning is issued and you have determined that your school is in the
path of this storm, an immediate and complete "Call to Action" is
needed. If the storm has not yet reached your school, begin moving students
from unsafe areas as listed above and post a trained teacher or school employee
to keep an eye on the storm's approach. (From your drills you should know approximately
how long it will take to move students into "tornado safe areas.")
As the storm begins to hit your school, move all students to tornado safe areas
(interior halls, etc.). If winds begin to pick up outside the school (or if
a roar is heard or large hail is falling) have students and teachers drop immediately
into the protective position (see diagram 1). Winds may pick-up at the onset
of the storm and may or may not drop off prior to the tornado. Rain may or may
not be occurring. Large hail is a signal that you are near the part of the storm
in which the tornado would occur. Once the storm has passed, students may return
to classrooms. Stay alert for the potential for additional storms. One special
consideration would be the complication of activating a full "Call to Action"
plan during class changes, when the halls are crowded and students may not know
where to go. It may be best to hold classes beyond regular dismissal time until
the severe weather threat has passed. Likewise, at the end of the school day,
students may need to be held from boarding buses until the danger has passed.
Diagram
1: Tornado Safe Position
You should have at
least a couple of people who know how to shut off the main power (electricity)
and gas (if applicable). After a tornado or severe thunderstorm, it may be necessary
to shut off the gas and electric supply to the building.
E. Procedures if severe weather happens without a warning
Normally, the National
Weather Services diligently attempts to issue a Watch before a Warning. But
it doesn't always happen that way! Sometimes the event occurs without prior
watches or warnings.
If you experience
severe weather, do whatever is feasible to follow as many of the above rules
as possible, especially those regarding staying away from windows, out of gymnasiums,
cafeterias, auditoriums, all-purpose rooms, etc..
F. Determining When to Hold Departure of School Bus
You will want to
consider holding the departure of students to buses whenever Watches or Warnings
are in effect. There are two primary considerations:
- Upon departure,
how long before all students have been delivered safely at home. Include time
for the students to walk from their bus stop to their home.
- How much time
do you have before the storms are expected to impact your district. Severe
Thunderstorm and Tornado Watches are sometimes issued a few hours in advance
of thunderstorm development. Watches are generally issued for large areas,
so even once storms have developed, it may be a couple of hours before the
storms reach you. On the other hand, it may be a rapidly developing situation
with less than an hour before the storms impact.
If Consideration
1 is less than Consideration 2, then a delayed departure is recommended. Buses
provide no protection from severe storms. The next section will discuss what
bus drivers should do if faced with a tornado approaching or flood waters in
their path.
It is not advisable
for parents to be running to the school to pick up their children in severe
weather. They should be made to understand that the child is far safer at the
school with the severe weather plan in place than on the road when a storm strikes.
Other considerations may include whether a large number of children from your
district live in mobile homes. The school would provide a far safer environment.
Mobile homes are extremely vulnerable to high winds (even when properly anchored
and tied down). A storm that would produce minor damage to a school could completely
destroy a mobile home.
School Bus Actions
All school bus drivers
should be trained on how to handle severe weather situations. Two primary concerns
are flash floods and tornadoes. Additional thought might be given to high wind
situations (thunderstorm or other), unexpected heavy snow or ice, extreme heat
or cold. In most situations, these events are forecast in advance, but there
are times when they may catch you by surprise.
TORNADOES
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NEVER ATTEMPT
TO OUTRUN A TORNADO! If a bus driver has reason to believe a tornado is
approaching, the following steps should be taken.
- If you
have the time to get to a well-constructed building that you can unload
students into, then certainly do so as fast as possible. Move them into
the interior or basement of the building away from windows and doors.
- If no building
is available, look for a ditch or low-lying area (preferably without
water). Make sure the bus is parked downwind from the location you have
selected. Unload the students to the low-lying area and have them get
in position with their hands over their head. (See Diagram 1). Caution,
overpasses provide little protection and may cause others to become
injured by stopping vehicles in the way of traffic.
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FLOODING
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NEVER ATTEMPT
TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOOD WATERS! If your bus route takes you across small
streams and creeks or along a river, you need to have either an alternate
route to travel or a contingency plan to return to the school if flood
waters are encountered. Major river flooding and coastal flooding generally
is well forecast with warnings issued early enough that schools and drivers
can plan their strategy prior to placing the students on the bus. Flash
flooding (a sudden and dramatic rise in water levels leading to flood
conditions) does not lend much warning (by definition). It is this type
of flooding for which drivers need to understand what to do and what not
to do.
In general,
a shallow ponding of water on the roadway is usually not a problem, but
as soon as the depth of the water comes into question, particularly in
cases where the road may have been undermined, drivers should not enter.
Do not enter underpasses that are filling with water. If the water appears
to be flowing (moving across the road), do not enter the water as the
roadway may be washed out. (See Appendix C for
more details).
Water levels
can rise rapidly and the force of that water against an automobile and
even a bus can be amazingly powerful. If the driver is caught in an unavoidable
situation, seek higher ground immediately. If the bus stalls, and water
is rising, abandon the bus and seek higher ground before the situation
gets out of control.
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EXPOSURE TO
COLD
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Children awaiting
the school bus in the morning, standing exposed to a cold wind without
proper clothing for protection, may develop hypothermia. School bus drivers
as well as teachers should be taught to recognize symptoms of hypothermia
and frost bite. A cursory description is provided in Appendix
C.
About 60 percent
of deaths in winter storms occur in vehicle accidents on icy and snowy
roads. Some deaths occur from exposure to the cold, whether trapped out
in the storm or caught indoors without heat or electricity. Those most
susceptible to the cold are young children and elderly. Some deaths occur
from fires started by improper use of alternative heat sources such as
fireplaces, wood stoves, and space heaters. Proper preparedness, wearing
appropriate winter clothes, and following safety procedures will save
lives. (See Appendix C on winter storm safety.)
In cases of
extreme cold, proper clothing is very important and needs to be stressed
to the students. Teachers should be taught to recognize symptoms of frost
bite and hypothermia. Outdoor activities may need to be canceled. Delaying
school hours may or may not solve the problem of students standing at
bus stops in the cold. Bus stop shelters would help protect the students
from the exposure to wind. It is recommended that bus drivers and teachers
take a Red Cross or other certified course to learn about medical recognition
factors like hypothermia.
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EXPOSURE TO
HEAT
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On hot days,
some children may have difficulty handling the heat. They may be boarding
the bus from an athletic event or coming from a hot classroom. A child
may be dehydrated and starting to show signs of heat exhaustion. Again,
drivers should be taught to recognize symptoms of heat stress.
While most
heat waves hit when school is out, temperatures can occasionally soar
into the 90s in early June and early September. Like wind to cold, humidity
adds to the effects of heat. A "heat index" is used to combine
these effects. The National Weather Service headlines the heat index in
its forecasts when it is expected to reach 105 F. At temperatures of 105
F and greater, heat disorders such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and
heat stroke are possible. Students should be kept out of the sun and strenuous
activities should be eliminated. Encourage students to drink plenty of
water and wear light-colored, lightweight clothing. Teachers should familiarize
themselves with the symptoms of heat disorders and first aid procedures
(See Appendix
C). It is recommended that bus drivers and teachers take a Red Cross
or other certified course to learn about medical recognition factors like
heat exhaustion.
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G. Need for Periodic
Drills and Severe Weather Safety Instruction
In order to have
an effective severe weather emergency plan, you must have periodic severe weather
drills and severe weather safety training. Drills not only teach students and
instructors the actions they need to take, but will allow you to evaluate your
plan's effectiveness. Did everyone hear the message, did they understand what
to do, and were they able to get to the designated areas of safety in a reasonable
amount of time? It is suggested that you conduct such drills in conjunction
with a severe weather education and awareness program so that students and teachers
understand the dangers of severe weather and better comprehend the actions that
they are asked to take.
The NWS runs statewide
"Severe Weather Awareness" campaigns during the Spring before the
onset of the severe weather season and again in the Fall before winter storms
set in. These campaigns are coordinated through the state and county government
emergency management agencies and the news media and often includes a proclamation
from the governor. This may be an opportune time for your school to conduct
a drill and program. You can contact your local NWS office or emergency management
office if you would like a speaker to come to your school and discuss severe
weather safety. It is also suggested that a drill be conducted in September
at the beginning of the school year. This will instruct new students of procedures
and act as a refresher for returning students. This could be help in conjunction
with the Winter Weather campaign or done separately.
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