69传媒

As school districts nationwide were putting out the welcome mat last week for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, some districts along the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico were taking a closer look at their own plans in the event of a hurricane.

Hurricane season runs from June through November, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 Climate Prediction Center has already forecast a more-active- than-normal season for such storms this year. As many as 12 more tropical storms could materialize this season, with at least four of those turning into major hurricanes.

In the 600-student Hyde County district along North Carolina鈥檚 Outer Banks鈥攁n area 鈥渄evastated by Hurricane Isabel鈥� in 2003, noted Associate Superintendent James Bunch鈥攐fficials are forming tighter relationships with emergency-management personnel at the county level.

鈥淲e are becoming aware of so many more potential problems because of this professional relationship,鈥� Mr. Bunch said last week. 鈥淲e used to just rely on local weather forecasts.鈥�

He added that he was already monitoring the path of a tropical depression that was forming in the Atlantic Ocean.

Even though Hyde County is not below sea level, Mr. Bunch said that he was considering moving his district鈥檚 school bus fleet to higher ground in case of future storms. Not only would the buses be spared, he said, but they would also be available to evacuate residents from the area.

Availability of transportation has emerged as a major issue in critiques of the incomplete evacuation of New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina.

鈥業t Could Have Been Us鈥�

In Florida鈥檚 Walton County school district, where Superintendent Carlene H. Anderson sent a message to parents reading, 鈥淚t could have been us,鈥� officials advised staff members to copy all their important data onto CDs and store them off site in a sturdy plastic container. They should also include names and numbers of fellow employees and vendors that might be needed to 鈥渞esume mission-critical functions,鈥� according to a tip sheet for the 6,500-student district, located in the middle of the Florida Panhandle.

鈥淵ou should ask yourself, 鈥榃hat do I do when we cannot use our facility?鈥� 鈥欌�� the disaster-recovery plan advises.

Sue F. Burgess, the superintendent of the 5,000-student Dare County, N.C., school district, northeast of Hyde County, considered similar matters when preparing for Hurricane Isabel. In advance of the storm, officials 鈥渞an the payroll鈥� a day early and moved the payroll operation to a county farther west of the coast, Ms. Burgess said.

Minutes of school board meetings were also locked up in a vault in a local bank because the board鈥檚 offices are in a building that takes on water even in a normal rain.

Measures for safeguarding records will likely get renewed attention from many school officials elsewhere in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. (鈥淥fficials Scramble to Salvage Storm-Damaged School Data,鈥� Sept. 14, 2004)

69传媒 and staff members are often already away from school buildings when storms hit.

In the 270,000-student Broward County district in South Florida, for example, schools were closed Aug. 25-26 when Katrina passed through before reaching the Gulf Coast because many of the facilities were needed as emergency shelters.

Even if lives aren鈥檛 in danger, districts in the pathway of severe storms still have to think about protecting and repairing their buildings as soon as possible.

鈥淥ur biggest issue is our roofs,鈥� said Tommy Kranz, the chief operating officer for the 30,000-student Okaloosa County district, along the Florida Panhandle.

So the coastal district has roofing contractors standing by, ready to go to work as soon as crews are allowed back at the school sites. The system also stockpiles as least $300,000 worth of materials for repairs.

鈥淥ur goal is that we want to open school the next day,鈥� said Mr. Kranz, who grew up near New Orleans and has displaced family members staying in his home.

But even for someone who has grown up around hurricanes, there are always lessons to learn, said Mr. Kranz. He said that workers in the district finally figured out, for instance, how to secure some batting cages that got tossed by the wind each time a storm came through.

鈥淓very storm acts differently,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople have to take these evacuation orders seriously.鈥�