Emergency Preparedness
Carsedra Glass
EDUC 1005: Child Health, Safety, and Nutrition
Professor Eissler
09/10/17
Hurricanes
As we all know Hurricane Harvey hit
Houston Texas and surrounding areas, along with part of Louisiana this last
week, as well as Irma that has pounded the Caribbean’s and heading through
Florida right now. The devastation has been unimaginable, but being prepared
ahead of time has helped some. However, people still weren’t 100%
prepared for the total impact of Harvey. In the scenario of a hurricane quickly
developing especially as a teacher or caregiver you have to be able to think
quickly on your feet because everyone from the teachers/staff and children are
at risk. I would first if the children are alarmed or scared try to calm them
assure them as much as I could they are safe. The disaster itself is one
thing to deal with but having scared infants and children, or staff can make the situation more stressful. Then I
would gather as much information as I could quickly so I can know how to
proceed, do we have time to evacuate or do we need to seek shelter and take
cover where we are. Then I would proceed with next steps; I would follow the evacuation plan we
have in place. Following the evacuation checklist and then proceeding to any of
the safe exits we have designated, taking care to make sure all children are accounted for.
Being prepared ahead of time is key to having a safe evacuation. Some things you can do first is, have a written
plan in place that all teachers/staff follow,
and children along with parents know. Make sure all exits are noted
clearly on floor plans, as well as the location
of first aid kits/fire extinguishers. Also, have important files that have
names of children and staff, any specific health conditions or special
medicines, instructions for children with special needs and emergency contact
info. Note where to shutoff utilizes and where food and extra clothing are. Figure out how you will handle
transporting more than one child at a time such as infants and toddlers that
can’t walk. Once the plan is mapped out,
every month or so have a drill to go through the evacuation plan to make sure
everyone is familiar with the plan.
Earthquakes
When an Earthquake strikes it is
always without warning, as we see with the one that hit Mexico over the
weekend, so trying to get prepared is hard to do. So, in natural
disasters like this where you can’t evacuate, I would follow the "survival
mode or shelter-in-place procedures" (Robertson, C., 2016, pp 185) because
as with hurricanes everyone is at risk. Even though you can’t predict
when an Earthquake will hit, you can try to make sure all children in your care
are safe. Again, the disaster alone is stressful but having scared infants and
children even other staff to tend to can only add to the stress of the
situation. Making sure to have a plan in place ahead of time is key such
as but not limited to; making sure fire extinguishers are accessible, as well
as first aid kits, flashlights w/batteries, tools to turn off gas and water.
Extra sets of clothes for everyone and personal hygiene items. Also,
enough water for children and adults individually, the supply of nonperishable food items (for up to 4 days) along with,
paper plates, cups, paper towels and plastic utensils. Have supplies for infants and toddlers, such a diapers/wipes,
formula (for up to 4 days). As with evacuation plans, have important
files that have names of children and staff, any specific health conditions or
special medicines, instructions for children with special needs and emergency
contacts. Activities for the children to help keep them occupied and
entertained. An evacuation plan is still needed if you can leave or need to evacuate. Every
month or so just like with the evacuation plan once your plan is in place have
drills so that everyone knows what to do and be sure to familiarize families
with those plans.
First and most
importantly, when an earthquake hits put into action plans for what to do
during the event such as: dropping down onto your hands and knees, so you don’t
get knocked you down.
Cover your head and neck with your arms to help protect from falling debris. If
there is falling debris, move safely to take cover under a sturdy desk or
table. If there are no desk, tables or other sturdy object move away from
windows, outside doors and things like light fixtures that could fall into an
interior wall. Do not stand in doorways because there
is no protection from objects that could fly or fall. Do not run
outside, stay in a safe place until the shaking has stopped.
In either scenario or any disaster,
it is important that families are aware of the Emergency Preparedness Plans of
their child’s school or center. "Teachers must discuss emergency procedures
with families, so they are familiar with
the practice and drills the children are performing." (Robertson, C.,
2016, pp 184) Let them know where they will be able to find their children if evacuated. If they are to be picked up, make
sure it is only by those authorized to do so. Making sure families aware
of the plans can help the children, teachers/staff and parents feel safer even
during a disaster.
Reference:
Robertson, C. (2016). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Hi Carsedra,
ReplyDeleteBeing prepared in the case of an emergency is very important. I had the chance to visit my grandson class room the last two weeks while I was there it was a locked down drill and I was happy at the outcome and how quite the kids were. The teacher did a great job. As always it was a pleasure to read your post.