Natural Disasters and Students

Here in Florida, our most prevalent (and notorious) form of natural disasters is the hurricane. We have not had one in several years but as you know they can happen spontaneously. Hurricane season is fairly long; from May 15^th to November 30^th yearly.  One year (2004) four hurricanes swept through central Florida, creating massive devastation that still leaves scars on the countryside.  Hurricane Katrina in nearby Louisiana, with winds striking the area at over 125 mph, created the worst disaster in the country by hurricane since 1928.

It is one of our state standards to teach preparedness yearly. SC.5.E.7.7: Design a family preparedness plan for natural disasters and identify the reasons for having such a plan.

Some of my students remember the hurricanes of 2004, while others (like me) have moved to Florida after 2004. I always teach preparedness as part of my lessons on weather, starting with a discussion about their experiences. We then brainstorm a list of items a family will need as well as things that they will need to do to get ready. Most of the time they don’t think of odd things like putting your patio furniture in your pool, and filling the bathtubs with water for the family to use.

I then show the kids short videos as well as have them check out the FEMA website for preparedness: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/index.shtm. After that, the students make brochures which are sent home to be shared with their families, who sign and return them to me.

The Red Cross is a natural for helping others out. In the past, my students have proposed having a bake sale, washing cars and selling handmade crafts to raise funds for those in need. Unfortunately we were not able to do so due to school protocol. I did encourage my students to donate from home, and helped out by matching funds for the donations.