Practicing for a Safe El Nino Year
Carlsbad families have been hearing about the predicted El Nino
storms. Preparations are being made in homes around our community. CUSD, too,
has been planning in advance of this season’s forecasted storms to take
precautions against the possible disruptions they might cause.
What kind of hazardous conditions could arise from a series of El
Nino storms? How can CUSD best prepare for these conditions? How would we
communicate and respond in real time to storm and flooding emergencies?
On December 2, the District conducted a Severe Storm Table Top
Exercise to evaluate our preparedness levels and identify areas that could be improved.
We are very appreciative of the support from the City of Carlsbad’s Emergency
Preparedness Coordinator David Harrison, our School Resource Officers, and
Carlsbad Fire who shared their expertise in this process.
Our executive cabinet, district office staff, and principals and
staff from Kelly and Poinsettia Elementary Schools came together to enact a
storm scenario. This scenario was developed for us by the City using guidelines
written by the US Department of Homeland Security.
The simulation used severe weather information from the National
Weather Service, and a flooding scenario which was drawn from historical cases
of flooding in Carlsbad, all of which would be reasonable and realistic in an
El Nino year. Flooding, loss of electrical power, wind damage, water intrusion
and damage, contamination, public health hazards, and hazardous driving
conditions, fallen trees, mudslides, and disruption of communications were some
of the many possible hazardous conditions that might result from consistent
storms in the area.
The exercise took place in two phases: Phase 1 looked at preparedness
and mitigation actions in Poinsettia, Kelly’s and the District Office site
safety plans. Phase 2 outlined the response actions that might be taken during
an actual emergency event.
The purpose of the simulation was to evaluate plans and
procedures, clarify roles and responsibilities, review organization
relationships communication protocols, assess resources, identify gaps and
enhance site and district level preparedness.
The team was asked to identify the hazardous conditions that
could be expected on our campuses or surrounding areas if relatively consistent
storms moved through the region. As part of this review, teams also discussed
when and how they would communicate with families, the type of assistance they
might need, and when school closure should be considered.
By enacting a simulated emergency, team members were able to take
a careful look at their plans, and evaluate the equipment and procedures they
have in place. Identifying corrective actions in advance of the predicted
storms allow us to make improvements to the emergency plans before El Nino
arrives.
