As a general rule, most school districts have emergency
preparedness plans for their students.
Most teachers and school officials are well informed on emergency
procedures and an effort is usually made to inform and educate parents and
students on these procedures.
However, like me, most of us go along in life expecting normalcy. Many years ago, my children and I were
experiencing a normal day, me at home and my children at their elementary
school. It was nearly time for
school to end for the day when a News Flash came on announcing the mid-air
crash of two small planes above the area of my children’s elementary
school. The announcer described
debris and bodies from one of the planes raining down on the neighborhood
surrounding my children’s school, with the other plane coming down and crashing
into a house. Upon hearing this, I
called the school repeatedly until I could get through. The school informed me that all of the
children were safe and well. They
also informed me that they would be keeping all of the students inside the
school until the area had been cleared of dangerous debris and visually
upsetting scenes. Being well
acquainted with the school administration and teachers, I knew that my children
would be well cared for. It took
emergency personnel of the city and county approximately 4 to 5 hours to clear
the area of the most dangerous and disturbing obstacles. When I was finally reunited with my
children, we talked about the emergency situation and the extra time they spent
at school. My children told me that the school staff had briefly explained the
situation to the children, reassured them that they were safe and kept them
busy with fun activities. The only
negative thing that my children mentioned was that they got hungry during the
extra time they were there.
If we stop to think, there are many factors that can affect
the normal activities of our children when they are at school.
· Weather
· Fires
· Floods
· Earthquakes
· Accidents
· Social
Incidents
Thank goodness these things do not happen on a regular
basis. Nevertheless, it is best to
prepare.
A few years ago, my youngest son’s elementary school
requested that an emergency kit be sent to school for each child that contained
items that could give the child comfort in the event of emergency. What a good idea!
As storage space was limited, all items were to be placed in
a gallon sized zip-lock bag clearly labeled with the child’s full name. Items suggested to be put inside were:
- High
calorie nutritious snacks that the child likes
- Bottle
of water
- Flashlight
or glow stick
- Some
form of identification including name, address and phone number
- Names
of parents or guardians
- Picture
of family members
- Wet
wipes
- Tissues
If your kit can be a bit larger, I also recommend:
Back to school time is a great time to prepare to send your
child back to school prepared for emergency situations. Check with you school to see if they
have any recommendations or policy for emergency kits for their students. If not, talk to your PTA
President. Maybe a new policy can
be instituted in your school. A
kit like the one suggested above would only take a short time to prepare, yet
it could be extremely valuable to you child in case of emergency.
Shelf Reliance carries many products that are wonderful for your Emergency Preparedness needs. Please click on the link below to go to my Shelf Reliance website. You will be able to see all of the products available, recipes, food calculators, purchase items and have them delivered directly to you.
