Emergency Preparedness for Natural and Human-Generated Disasters - 

Living in the Midwest we have very little danger from hurricanes, yet there are other dangers and disaster type situations that can affect those of us living here. As a previous daycare teacher, we often had fire and tornado drills to help prepare us and our students for a disaster. Two disasters that could affect a child care facility in my area are severe thunderstorms which can produce tornados and blizzards. These events have been known to happen in my area and those people working with children should be aware of how to safely and effectively handle these situations.

     Severe thunderstorms and tornados can be terrifying for many adults, but when these natural events occur during the school day, with many classrooms full of children, it is even more so. To try to take some of the stress and terror out of these thunderstorm and tornado situations every adult who works in a child care facility should have a working knowledge of what actions to take and how to best protect and prepare their students. When the caregivers and other staff do not have knowledge of what to do in these circumstances, then stress and fear reign and people can be in an even more dangerous situation and hurt or worse.

      Caregivers and administrators should monitor the weather daily, as the threat of severe weather strikes the different classifications of storms should be understood to best protect the children and the school. These classifications include; severe thunderstorm warning, severe thunderstorm watch, tornado warning, and tornado watch. Warnings are more serious than watches because to have a warning issued means that a thunderstorm or tornado has been spotted and watches mean simply that the conditions are right for them to occur. A child care building should meet state regulations about withstanding high winds and should have multiple internal protective areas to stay during the storm. Since these thunderstorms and tornados tend to happen fairly quickly, it is best if every employee knows where these protective areas are and the best way to get their students there. This means keeping children away from glass and if the storm happens too fast to get to the protective place, then sits against the interior wall away from windows. The most important facts to remember during a tornado are to rely on training and make certain the students are as safe and as calm as possible. This can be aided by keeping children and their families involved with thunderstorm and tornado disaster plans, this can help children to feel more confident of what to do during a real disaster emergency.

     Still another problem that we run into here in the Midwest is winter storms, which can happen about once a winter. Much like the thunderstorm local media and weather stations keep updates available on both the radio and television. Here, also like the thunderstorm and tornado warnings, we should have designated people who are keeping appraised of the current weather conditions. This is both to prepare the building, families and staff who may not have arrived yet and those who are already in attendance at the child care center. The major problems that are likely to occur during a major winter storm are utility loss and dangerous travel conditions. Because of this child care personnel must be prepared to run either back-up generators or maintain a safe level of heat until parents are able to pick up their children or the power comes back on. Dangerous travel conditions could make it difficult for families to pick up their children from the child care facility, so child care workers should also be ready to feed, entertain, and make their students are safe and comfortable as possible. Families can be a part of these plans best by having a written copy of emergency plans for emergencies like this, so that they are aware of what they can do and what will be done for their children.

     Natural and manmade disasters have the capability to take lives and while those of us in the child care field cannot always stop these disasters from happening, we can do quite a lot to minimize what we can. The best way to be safe is to be prepared. Developing a plan of action for these potential disasters, making certain that everyone is aware of these plans and knows their rolls in them, as well as practicing these plans to help build confidence for both the children and workers. Having a plan and the confidence to put that plan into action can make a potentially dangerous and hazardous situation a little less so. Whether it is a tornado, winter storm, fire, bomb threat, or flood, making certain that children are safe is one of the most important parts of working with children. Because of this, everyone in the child care field must be aware of the plans for potentially dangerous situations and know how to execute these plans to keep safety as a top priority.

Reference

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (4th Ed.). Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.