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Emergency Management
Tornado Preparedness in Daycares
from Metropolitan Emergency Manager's Association
Background
This plan, selected for distribution and updated in 1996 by the Metropolitan Emergency Managers' Association (MEMA), was originally written by Ester Kellner, Deputy Director of the Wayne County Office of Civil Defense, Richmond, Indiana. Mrs. Kellner's writing for children has had a world wide circulation through juvenile books, magazines, readers and filmstrips, and she has worked personally with schools and children of all ages. For two years she served as a volunteer teacher in a child care center for the kindergarten level and younger.
Plan
The responsibility of protecting and reassuring children during a severe storm is a grave one, especially in child care centers where the children are usually very young and easily frightened by unusual events. Therefore, careful plans should be made far in advance of the usual tornado season.
A Storm is Coming
Prepare the children by telling them about rain. Rain makes the trees and flowers grow. Rain gives birds and animals a drink of water. Rain makes rivers and ponds for ducks and geese and fish. Rain makes puddles for us to wade in.
Sometimes when it rains hard, the wind blows hard, too. How does the wind sound? Sometimes hail falls. What is hail? Hail is like a lot of tiny ice cubes falling out of the sky. It might hurt us if it hits us and it would be ver-ree cold! Br-r-r-r-r! When we hear rain and hail, we may also hear Old Man Thunder growling and banging around.
Children like to draw pictures of rain and what it does for them and for the world around them. They like to draw pictures of trees and kites blown by the wind, and of Old Man Thunder himself.
They can be told," Of course, we don't want to get wet. We don't want the wind blowing us, or the hail pounding us. So we will go to a place where the wind and rain and hail can't find us, and Old Man Thunder can't get in. This will be our storm shelter."
Select a Shelter
The shelter itself must be selected according to certain safety considerations and should be determined by a professional. You may want to contact your local Emergency Manager and request a shelter survey. There is no charge for this service.
Schools and child care centers have sometimes made the mistake of thinking that if the children are lined up against the walls of a central hallway, they will be safe. However, if there is an outside door at either end of this hallway they could be in serious danger. High winds may demolish a wall and push out the opposite wall, creating a wind tunnel which would simply carry the children out.
Of course a basement is the safest shelter, but if the building has no basement, the next best place is a centrally located area away from windows or doors. In this era of slab construction and glass or window-filled walls, sometimes the safest place is a centrally located bathroom storage room or large closet. Even walls with tempered glass are not safe, as pressure may shatter this glass into hard particles which can become dangerous missiles.
If your shelter is in a basement or on the first floor of a two-story building, be sure there is no heavy appliance overhead which could come down upon the children if the ceiling gave way.
Storm Drills
Sometimes children like to take turns pretending to be wind or thunder when they are getting ready to have a tornado drill. At a prearranged signal, they should go to their shelter promptly in a brisk and orderly manner. This shelter should be equipped, when first selected, with a flashlight, batteries, blankets and a first aid kit. Take a battery operated radio for information and instructions. A list of children should be posted on the wall, so the roll can be called at once.
Since lights often go out during a storm, include this in your drill. "Get ready! The lights are going out!" This will enable the children to become accustomed to the dim light of flashlights and, briefly, to total darkness. For security, they can join hands. If you have previously observed a child who seemed unusually nervous about being in a small closed space, place this child with an adult.
Backup emergency lighting which is battery powered is presently available from most safety equipment suppliers at a relatively small cost. They mount permanently to walls, plug in to standard electric power to keep the battery charged and automatically turn on in the event of power failure.
If you facility has a standby generator, lights put out by the storm can be quickly turned on again.
Sometimes children are less apprehensive about darkness or dimness if the occasion is treated lightly. "Who's giggling? . . . Janey, is that you giggling?" . . . "Now, no laughing, giggling or turning somersaults!"
The shock of a real emergency will be lessened if the children have learned to consider the shelter a familiar refuge, so have frequent drills during the storm season.
Tornado Watch
A tornado can strike without warning, but as a rule, several hours elapse between the time a Watch is called and the time the storm reaches the area.
During these hours, keep listening to your local radio or TV. If your TV shows a radar screening of the weather, you can readily see where the storms are heading.
Weather alert radios which cost about $50 may be particularly good in a busy center when one cannot always pay attention to radios or TVs. They are activated by radio signals from the National Weather Service and may be set to sound an alarm. This is followed by specific information, and since they have a battery back-up, the radios may be taken to the shelter area with you.
Check your Center indoors and outdoors for any object which might become a missile if blown about by a high wind.
Outside these include lawn chairs, metal trays, garden implements, sharp and heavy toys, etc. Inside they include anything made of glass, such as mirrors, trays, bottles, vases, also hard-back books and toys made of metal or heavy plastic. These should be removed to a safe place as unobtrusively as possible. Be sure to remove any such objects from window sills.
If the wind rises and the skies become so dark and ominous that you feel a severe storm is imminent, you may want to take the children to the shelter without waiting for an alert, though this should not be necessary if your locality has an adequate warning system.
Tornado Warning
A tornado warning means that a tornado is in the immediate area. There are three ways you could be officially notified of a "Warning."
Weather alert radio monitors will emit a high pitched tone which will be followed by specific information from the National Weather Service.
Most TV and radio stations will interrupt programming to announce details of the warning.
Outdoor warning sirens will sound in your locality.
These storms are so erratic in movement that it is hard to know where they will strike, but if a warning is given, don't waste time looking for a funnel.
Do not waste time by disconnecting your radio or TV. Take your battery powered radio with you and get the children to the shelter quickly. Listen to broadcasts and use common sense. In Minnesota, "all clear signals" are not sounded, but broadcast information should give a good idea of the real danger.
If Your Center is Hit
Try not to panic. Call 911 or send someone for help. Tell yourself AND the children that help is coming; ambulances, rescue units, firefighters, police, heavy equipment, medical units, workers from the utility companies, and so on. Please be aware that the actual response will depend on the severity of the storm.
Once again, account for all children and adults. This information is important to responders as they organize their tasks.
And remember that a storm may not be as bad as it seems. The crash of a single limb against a building can sound like doomsday.
Personnel
The Director should have a written plan for this particular facility, post copies and give a copy to each employee. Know WHO will do WHAT during both Watches and Warnings.
Center employees should make tornado plans and preparations for families at home, so as to feel reasonably secure about their safety. Be sure every member of the family knows where to go, what to do, who is to take charge of what. Prepare written instructions.
The parents of the children enrolled at your Center should be given tornado preparedness instructions for home use. Numerous pamphlets are available from your local Emergency Management office which describe what to do in a tornado emergency.
If you are in doubt about any of the above items or if you require more specific information, please contact your local Emergency Management office.
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