EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST FOR SCHOOLS

PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION:

1. Does your school have a disaster plan, and is your staff aware of their roles and responsibilities under the plan? Do they realize they may be responsible for thestudents for up to 72 hours after a disaster occurs?

2. Is your staff aware of the fact that under Government Code #3100, all teachers are Disaster Service Workers, and if the disaster occurs during school hours their initial responsibility is with the school?

3. Does your staff know the location of the main gas, electricity and water shut-off valves? Who has been instructed to check their status, and turn them off if the need arises?

4. Has a map of the school and school grounds been made and distributed to all staff members which includes basic evacuation procedures and potential earthquake hazards to avoid?

5. Have you made a list and map of the location and availability of First Aid kits, sleeping materials and other emergency supplies?

6. What nonstructural hazard mitigation measures have been completed at your school:-

6.1. have bookshelves, file cabinets and free-standing cupboards been bolted to the wall, or arranged to support each other?

6.2. - have heavy items been removed from the tops of bookshelves and cupboards?

6.3. - have the windows in the classrooms. and other campus buildings been equipped with safety glass, or covered with protective film?

6.4. - are the ceilings, overhead lights and air ducts secured to the structure of the building?

7. Have inventories been made of hazardous chemicals in areas such as the science building and maintenance shops? Has anyone been appointed to check on these chemicals after an earthquake?

8. Does the school have any arrangements with structural engineers or local contractors who will report to the school directly after a disaster to determine the damage, and the need to evacuate?

9. Do you know if your school has been designated as a potential mass care shelter? Has your staff been trained in managing such a shelter?

10. Does your school have a back-up communications system such as a c. b. radio, ham operation, or two-way radio to communicate with local emergency services? Who is trained to use this equipment?

11. Is there an earthquake preparedness program in your curriculum?

12. Are their any programs established between the school and Parent Teacher's Association (PTA) which encourage the Home Plan, and discuss the school's policies regarding student release, absenteeism, etc.?

13. How and where are you storing vital data and records? Do you have back-ups of important data stored in an off-site location?

EMERGENCY RESPONSE:

1. Has a central "command post" or other central planning area been identified which contains maps of the campus, facilities and hazards in the area, an enrollment sheet for the current year, First Aid materials, and other tools necessary to manage the emergency response activities after a disaster?

2. Do the teachers have basic operating procedures to follow such as:

2.1. - knowing how to implement the basic "duck and cover" actions when an earthquake begins?

2.2. - having an emergency kit near the desk which contains a roll sheet, special medical information and student release information?

2.3. - when to evacuate, and when to remain in the classroom after an earthquake?

2.4. - knowing how to administer First Aid to those seriously wounded, and to comfort those in shock, frightened or hysterical?

2.5. - if some students are seriously injured and an evacuation is in order, what to do with the injured?

2.6. - what check-out procedures should be taken before a student is released to an adult?

2.7 - working in a "buddy system" with another teacher and class, so that if one teacher is injured the other could take care of the students and get them to safety?

3. What are your immediate damage assessment procedures?

4. Have you developed emergency sanitation procedures?

5. Has a spokesperson been appointed to serve as liaison with the press after a disaster?

6. Who has been designated for search and rescue, and have they received training?

RECOVERY:

1. Do you have information on record keeping requirements and financial aid sources for disaster relief available to your school?

2. What are your absentee policies for teachers/students after a disaster?

3. Have you contracted with, or made inquiries to mental health organizations to provide counseling to students after an earthquake?

4. Are you aware of, or prepared to undertake alternative teaching methods for students unable to return immediately to classes: correspondence classes, tele-teaching, group tutoring, etc?

5. What will be your plan for conducting classes if some of your facilities are damaged, half-day sessions, alternative sites, portable classrooms?

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