EARTHQUAKE, HURRICANE, school security, and Emergency Communication
Disaster plan Check List and how to get ready
EARTHQUAKES BRING ATTENTION TO SEISMICALLY UNSAFE SCHOOLS
In the wake of the disastrous collapse of over 7,000 "classrooms" and the death of 10,000 students (estimates are closely controlled by the Chinese government) in China after May 12’s devastating earthquake, American seismologists are assessing the sturdiness of schools in the U.S., writes Andrew Revkin in the New York Times blog Dot Earth. The Pacific Northwest, especially, seems vulnerable. According to Yumei Wang, geohazards team leader for the state of Oregon, approximately 1,300 schools there have "a very high probability of collapse." Washington State is similarly vulnerable. Wang states that "what are sorely needed are long-term, institutionalized, government-funded programs to help school districts mitigate their high-occupancy, collapse-prone schools." Oregon is establishing a grant program to do this, but Wang cautions that the retrofitting of schools and other critical infrastructure will take decades and could cost up to $2 billion. Read From Sichuan to Oregon Schools at Risk
1906 Earthquake Disaster
BIRD FLUE U.S. Issues Guidelines in Case of Flu Pandemic February 1, 2007Cities should close schools for up to three months in the event of a severe flu outbreak, ball games and movies should be canceled and working hours staggered so subways and buses are less crowded, the federal government advised today in issuing new pandemic flu guidelines to states and cities. We have to be prepared for a Category 5 pandemic, said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of global migration and quarantine for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in releasing the guidelines. The new guidelines also advocate having sick people and all their families even apparently healthy members stay home for 7 to 10 days.
No ones arguing that by closing all the schools, you're going to prevent the spread, Dr. Markel added. But if you can cut cases by 10 or 20 or 30 percent and its your family thats spared, thats a big deal.School closures can be very controversial, and picking the right moment is hard, because it must be done before cases soar.
