Tornado Preparedness A Priority For Schools And Emergency Management

Jamey Robinson (right) discusses a recent tornado drill with Eddyville-Blakesburg Elementary staff (file photo)

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The focus of the country has been on Moore, Oklahoma and the tragic loss of life, but in particular those children who were lost when the EF-5 tornado ripped into their elementary school.

In Oskaloosa and Mahaska County, school officials and emergency management have been reviewing their emergency plans and policy in the event of a tornado. This review hasn’t been in response to the tragedy in Oklahoma, but was already done, and in most cases subject to constant review as the needs of the schools continue to change.

Mahaska County Emergency Manager Jamey Robinson said that, at this point, nearly every school in the county has been evaluated for their preparedness in regards to tornado safety. The plans have been practiced and evaluated Robinson explained, “They are making sure they are doing what’s best for the students, utilizing what they have.”

Design features built in by architects and designers for aesthetics can prove to be challenges when preparing for emergencies such as those posed by tornados. Windows and corridors with glass doors at the end of them are just a couple of examples planners have to examine. “It really takes some work on the schools part to really look at that and take the initiative and say OK, are we doing what’s best for our students in the event something does happen here, Robinson explained. “We really want to do what’s best for our children and my hat’s off to the schools.”

But after the initial reviews of the plans, schools have run the drills to evaluate that things work according to plan. Robinson points towards a recent exercise at the Oskaloosa School District, “we just got done doing all the schools within the Osky school district. We would go one day and look at the plan that’s currently in place and how many students they have,” which would then help in guiding how the future plan should be implemented. “Instead of just changing the plan and saying ‘now we’re going to try it that way’, they actually took the day, pulled the alarm, we moved into those new areas so we could evaluate and see ‘are we going to be able to get 50 students here or 100 students there?’, because if it isn’t going to work, then that paper is absolutely no good to anybody.”

After evaluating the plan, and then rewriting the plan where necessary, “they went ahead and practiced it right away,” Robinson said.

Police and fire participated in the drills, “so they would be on the same page,” Robinson said. “When we look at the tornado drills… we really want to get the fire departments and police departments involved.

Keeping the students condensed to specific locations and not spread throughout the school aids first responders in knowing where to look. “If we know we have main areas where the students are going to be, that’s the areas our police and fire department will go to right away and start looking for people,” is the focus for Robinson and the first responders.

At this point, Robinson is confident in the emergency plans in place by the area schools.

Stay up to date with area emergency alerts by texting mcema to 888777 on your mobile phone.

To see how schools and emergency workers have been preparing for emergencies in schools, you can visit some of the following links-

OMS Evaluates Emergency Plans
Preparing To Stay Safe During Storm Season
Severe Weather Awareness Week Continued With Tornado Drills
Mahaska County Emergency Management Earns StormReady Recognition
Drill necessary even in November
Emergency Radio Checkup Time