“When the Northridge earthquake struck two years ago, many schools were closed from a few days to several weeks. But, with few exceptions, the public schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) were operating within a few weeks. They recovered so quickly due to the disaster plans initiated by the principal of each school and approved by the LAUSD Emergency Operations Board.
Because the earthquake occurred when schools weren’t in session, additional disasters were avoided. Yet, if an earthquake were to happen during school, you should know that you’ll be taken care of by the teachers and staff at the school until your parents pick you up.
The LAUSD knows what its doing
“Many people don’t think we know what we’re doing, but we do,” assured Pete Anderson, director of LAUSD emergency services. It is Anderson’s job to make and review plans for disasters that can occur in the schools. He makes sure every school has an updated and acceptable disaster plan.
This plan — the Integrated School Safety Plan — has instructions in what to do in a disaster such as an earthquake as well as fires, floods, bomb threats, etc. It even includes guidelines for students on the school buses in case of a disaster. The plan assigns the staff members into teams such as search and rescue, first aid, reunion, fire suppression, security, and utility, to assure the safety of the students. Every teacher and employee must stay on campus until they are released. “When a disaster hits, staff has to be trained to implement the emergency plan,” said Anderson, “and students have to follow their directions.”
Within the plan is a map of emergency school sites including the students/staff assembly areas, evacuation routes, search and rescue routes, utility shut-off locations, and first-aid centers, among other locations. In addition, each school is supplied with enough 55-gallon water barrels and food to supply everyone for three days. Search and rescue equipment such as hammers, saws, and flashlights are also provided to the schools by the district which has spent $750,000 in equipping 800 sites with these supplies.
Most schools came through the Northridge quake okay
Since the Northridge quake, “We learned that our schools were safer than we thought,” said Anderson. Damages to many schools included failed lighting and ceiling systems, bungalows moved from their places, and other minor breakage, but the only school that was completely unusable after the quake was Van Gogh Elementary School which will be rebuilt. Kennedy High School and El Camino High School, which suffered severe damages in the earthquake, will be redesigned with safer structures to prevent future wreckage. Other schools that have suffered damages also will be rebuilt according to the “Field Act” standard, which requires a public school to be safer than other buildings. As for repairing damages, 84.3 percent of the funding for these repairs has been approved, Anderson said.
Even now as Los Angeles continues rebuilding, earthquakes remain a constant threat to Southern California, and the best way to prevent problems is to prepare. All LAUSD schools are prepared for such disasters when they occur. “[Parents and students] should know that there’s a plan… and it works,” said Anderson.”