IEMA unveils new video to help schools plan for tornado emergencies

Identifying shelter areas, practicing plan are key to safety

[August 07, 2012]  SPRINGFIELD -- Schools across Illinois will soon welcome students back for the new school year, and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency is encouraging school personnel to include tornado safety in their preparations. This month IEMA introduced a new video presentation that outlines steps for identifying shelter spaces within school buildings and provides other tips for severe weather emergency planning.

Release of the video, entitled "Tornado Preparedness for Illinois Schools," marks the beginning of School Preparedness Month in Illinois as part of IEMA's 12-Month Preparedness Campaign.

"Tornadoes often strike with little warning, so every second is critical," said IEMA Director Jonathon Monken. "Every school needs to have a tornado plan and practice that plan so they can quickly move students to a shelter location if a tornado threatens. This new video will help school administrators develop or update their plans to ensure the safety of their students."

Development of the video was the result of a public-private partnership between IEMA, the Illinois Terrorism Task Force, the Illinois Math and Science Academy, Gallagher Bassett Services, ASIS School Safety and Security Council, RETA Security, and Sound Impressions. All costs for the project were covered by the private-sector partners.

Identifying shelter spaces for students, school personnel and visitors is a critical part of every school's tornado plan. Shelters should be in a basement or an interior area on the lowest level of the building, in an area with a short roof span and no glass. School personnel should avoid areas that have air conditioning units or other heavy equipment on the roof overhead or that are close to other outdoor hazards, such as chimneys.

Hallways with glass doors at each end that open to the outdoors could become a wind tunnel during a tornado and should be avoided as shelter space. Security camera footage from a Joplin, Mo., high school that was hit by an EF-5 tornado on May 22, 2011, is included in the school preparedness video to illustrate the wind tunnel effect. Interior hallways at 90-degree angles to hallways with outdoor exits will reduce wind tunnel effects and make better shelter areas.

"The day after the deadly Plainfield, Ill., tornado in 1990, I saw firsthand the center-flow hallways jampacked with desks, pieces of equipment, mud and other debris," said Jim Bondi, IMSA chief of security. "Fortunately, no students were in the building at the time, but it could have been disastrous if they had sought shelter in those hallways. This changed my perspective on sheltering locations that I used after that at my school, and I've recommended that other school administrators also re-examine their shelter locations."

The video also includes a pre-tornado season to-do list for schools, including establishing protocols for delayed release times; assigning emergency responsibilities to staff members; training employees, staff and students; and conducting a practice drill.

The video is available on the Ready Illinois website at www.ready.illinois.gov.

[Text from Illinois Emergency Management Agency file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]