Miles Files: Do you know your school's emergency plan? Miles Files: Do you know your school's emergency plan? (October 19, 2005)

By Miles McMullin

Ninth-grader, M-A High

The Katrina disaster made me start thinking what I would do if an earthquake forced us into an emergency living situation.

The last large earthquake we had was in 1989 and it was 6.9 on the Richter scale. It did a lot of damage but it was not considered the "Big One."

Given that experts predict a high probability of a bigger quake within 30 years, I looked into emergency plans at the high schools my brother and I attend.

My parents and I realized we didn't know the exact plan we would execute if there were an earthquake while we were at school.

At Menlo-Atherton High School, where I go to school, officials are currently revising their earthquake plans.

The way it is set up now is that in the event of an earthquake all the people at the school would go to the M-A football field. The principal, Norman Estrada, would be in charge. The school would have a command post at the north end of the football field.

There would be seven emergency response teams staffed by teachers and administrators: search and rescue, security/traffic control, student release, first-aid/triage, attendance center, crisis intervention, and hazards/utilities.

Parents who wanted to contact the school would have to call the main phone line: 322-5311. Most likely it would not be working so parents would be expected to come to the school to pick up their children.

Students would stay at the school until the parents or a representative come to get them. For more information on the emergency plan, call Judy Duran, administrative vice principal, at 322-5311.
Menlo School

At Menlo School, where my brother is a junior, parents are informed of the emergency procedures in the summer mailing each year. Parents are also asked to fill out emergency release cards annually.

In the event of a big quake, once it's determined it's safe to leave the buildings, the students would go to a predetermined evacuation point, where attendance would be taken.

Faculty and staff are involved in ongoing training in specific areas of emergency preparedness, including student welfare, first-aid, search and rescue, and care and shelter.

Students would be released through the parent coordination team, and only to those person listed on the emergency release card.

"As required by the state, Menlo's Emergency Operations Plan can accommodate students for 48 hours or longer," according to Tony Lapolla, dean of students.

For more information on the emergency plan, call Tony Lapolla at the main number: 330-2000.

Thinking about the "Big One" is not pleasant, but it's necessary to know what to do should it happen. Parents and students need to have a plan. You also need to know what your school is doing so you can be prepared.

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