Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human- Generated Disasters

          The state of Oklahoma is known for its vast array of tornadoes, as it is situated in Tornado Alley.  Oklahoma is also known for its vast amount of fires that happen year round as most of Oklahoma is farmland.  For the year 2011, Oklahoma has had over 100 tornadoes and has had over 50 wildfires across the state.  (Painter 2011)  For the residents of Oklahoma, adults and children learn early on how to stay safe for whatever Mother Nature brings to our door step.  Being a teacher at an early childhood center would be no different.

            Tornado season usually starts in March and goes all the way through August. So when it is not tornado season, you have time to practice drills and stock your emergency supplies.  Tornados can develop quickly and can show up just about anywhere without warning.  To prepare for a tornado one must know what areas of the building are the safest and have an emergency supply kit ready at all times.  The majority of Oklahoma is farmland, so there are many little rural towns. In these towns there may be a day care center for children who are not yet old enough for school.  The employees who work at a child care center in a rural town knows the ins and outs of the building, the town, and the frequency of how often that town is hit with tornadoes.  If a tornado suddenly appears the teachers and other workers with quickly gather the children away from the windows and take them towards the center of the building where the strongest supports are; or they will take the children to tornado shelter that is build underground just outside of the building.  Inside of this shelter there will emergency supplies that have been stocked with all the necessary items to weather out the storm. 

            Teachers who work in a child care center must be able to think clearly and work swiftly in light of a natural disaster.  The lives of the child and other teachers are in their hands.  Each teacher will have their own part that they must play so that everyone reaches shelter safely.  While tornadoes can come and go in a blink of an eye, their damages are lasting.  Tornadoes can not only destroy they can kill.  For those who are unprepared or just unlucky are the ones that can lose their life; families and even other teachers can help you prepare the students for what happens when a tornado comes.

            Besides tornadoes, Oklahoma has wildfires.  Wildfires have no typical season like tornadoes, or snow.  They can happen at any point and any time.  Wildfires are dangerous and unpredictable.  Many people die more from smoke inhalation than actually being burned by the fire.  There really is no way to prepare for a fire except to stay up on the most effective and safest fire drills.  Every teacher and student in a child care center each have a responsibility to learn about wildfires and what the current drills are.  Just like a tornado, wildfires can show up anytime and one needs to always stay prepared.  Teachers can make sure that each classroom has a map with emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and smoke alarms, all of which can help in case of an emergency.  Teachers can help the students become aware of the dangers of Mother Nature by making interactive lessons about each of the natural disasters that can happen in your area. 

           

References

Painter, B.. (November 25, 2011). 2011 has been year of natural disasters in Oklahoma. In NewsOK. Retrieved December 15, 2011, from http://newsok.com/article/3626299.

Robertson, C. (2010). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education. (4th ed ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth.