Hurricane Floyd Update - Useful information, How to Help

[Doug Wilkinson <cn2459@COASTALNET.COM>]

LM-Netters:

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has information on the
hurricane, the needs of people and schools, and contact information on

    http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/hurricane_floyd/

It includes an Adopt-A-School link which provides a way to help specific
schools in specific ways. It also includes a link to the Governor's Office
for cash donations and links to other sites, including e-mail and phone
numbers for specific schools. However, before you decide what to do, read
the description from teacher Marshall Matson of current conditions in
Edgecombe County in regards to schools. (9-23-99) The problems are complex,
especially for the hardest hit. Also visit the LearnNC Hurricane Floyd
School Relief Bulletin Board. This bulletin board contains lists of items
requested by schools and gives you a place to list items you wish to
contribute.

There are also links to NCDOT (Department of Transportation) which lists
closed roads, alternate routes, and links to South Carolina and Virginia
roads affected by Floyd. Maps are available through links. The FEMA link
provides additional information on Floyd's effects on the east coast,
including a story comparing Floyd to other disasters. On the Department of
Health and Human Services link, note the article "Pay attention to stress in
Floyd's aftermath, September 15, 1999." We will definitely see signs of
stress in both adults and children. How it's handled will make a great deal
of difference for all of us. The "How You Can Help" link has a map of
eastern NC with links to various cities, important addresses, and WRAL
stories following the Hurricane -- including ones about students and
schools.

This information is worth exploring and could be used as parts of lessons
regarding disasters of this type. For example, how would your area handle
something of this magnitude? Would people help each other? Would school help
school? How would you know if people an hour away were stranded, drowning,
starving, or dying? Would you know what to do or not do in the cleaning up
of your school and media center? If people gave you books for a flooded
media center, where would you house them? Would you know how to advise in
cleaning up and/or rebuilding a school or media center? Where are your
records stored? Are they all on-site, or do you have back-ups off-site? What
could children - your students - do during or after such a disaster that
would make the situation better? How would you prove who you were or what
you owned or were responsible for (personally and professionally) to
government representatives? Does your media center have books and/or videos
to help staff and children understand what could happen and how they might
deal with it? When was your last workshop on dealing with emergencies other
than fire drills or bomb threats? Is your school or your house built on a
flood plain (or earthquake fault, etc.)? Do you have a comprehensive
emergency plan?

It's a lot to think about. Emergency plans, clearly, are not luxuries to be
postponed. Most students were back in school somewhere today. In Edgecombe
Co., Princeville School was "destroyed" and Patilla Elementary students will
attend in trailers until their school can be rebuilt or restored. We're all
working around the flood, and we're learning to deal with it -- even in
areas like New Bern that suffered far less damage. One thing we've learned
is that communities, schools, and businesses survive best when they have
learned from past emergencies how to help each other in disasters. The
planning and the foundation of cooperation need to be laid before the
disaster occurs. Plan for the worst; hope for the best; neighbor help
neighbor whether you know them or not. Remember history: the first things,
after homes, that determined communities built were schools, libraries,
churches, and newspapers (communication). In disasters, reopening or
rebuilding  schools, libraries, churches, and newspapers (or TV or radio)
are symbols that the community will survive. During disasters, symbols are
as important as things.

And now the bad news: It has been raining off and on all day -- very hard at
times. I personally enjoy the sound of rain on the roof. However, I feel for
the homeless, for the rescue personnel who are still out, for the animals
seeking dry land, and for the children and adults for whom the sound of rain
is a stress and a reminder of what they've lost. This is not easy for a
proud people. There is another stress for those of us who are safe, whose
homes are safe, whose schools are safe: guilt. Guilt because we're fine and
our neighbors are not. It could have been us. It's a subtle stress, but it's
there. Please don't forget us as the months go by, especially pray that we
handle all this well, learn from it, and share what we learn as we help our
neighbors rebuild homes, school, libraries, and communities.


Linda Wilkinson
cn2459@coastalnet.com
Media Coordinator
School Base Technology Specialist
New Bern High School
New Bern, NC

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