The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina has been broadcasted all over the country, reminding us all that huge disasters can happen at any moment. Many speculate that if New Orleans was more prepared they wouldn’t be in their current condition. It raises the question: is Skyline College prepared for disaster or are we all doomed to fall into crisis in the event of a catastrophe?
We at the Skyline View originally thought the college might have been lacking in the disaster preparedness area; Skyline College is more prepared than we thought.
“We are well prepared,” Said Victoria Morrow, President of Skyline College. “I think we can be even better prepared.”
The college has an emergency response plan that maps out an evacuation plan, an emergency operations center, emergency equipment locations and emergency personnel. James Herndon, Chief of Security, is the head of the emergency response plan.
“[The emergency response] committee will be meeting in two weeks to review and update the plan to make sure everything is in place to carry out operations in the event of an emergency,” Sherri Hancock, Acting Vice President of student services, said. “I think we at least have everything in place, it could always stand review.”
In October a middle level drill will be performed on campus to test out the emergency response plan. There will be no evacuation of classes but some students will be involved in the simulation. The drill will give a better idea of if the plan works or if things should get changed. The drill has been set for October, even before Katrina hit. Since the hurricane hit, the need for the drill and a revised plan seems to be more of a necessity.
“In many ways we are prepared,” Morrow said. “The emergency preparedness drill is more timely now than ever.”
There are first aid kits, responder bags and emergency binders in all of the buildings. There are also silver courtesy phones in most buildings, but a lot of students don’t know this. We , at the Skyline View, didn’t know of the phones or the plan until we did some research. An emergency response plan is definitely a need, but how much good can it do if students are not properly and thoroughly informed.
When disaster strikes it naturally brings chaos and panic. The emergency personnel is there to calm the panic, but without knowing they are there and without knowing a plan is made, panic is relevant. There will still be panic even if you are in the know about the emergency response plan, but we all can rest a little easier knowing people in charge are somewhat aware of what they’re doing.
Skyline does have a plan, but construction does have the possibility to hinder accessibility and make evacuating difficult for everyone. No one knows what will be damaged when an earthquake hits but with limited mobility already since we are in the midst of construction, an earthquake would only make it worse. That and other disaster problems are going to be reviewed after the drill has taken place.
We feel that an emergency response plan is definitely a great first step to be taken, but there are other steps that need to be taken also. Students have the right to know about what is going on involving their safety in the school. The few students involved in the drill shouldn’t be the only ones in the know about emergency procedures. We feel safer already, knowing that the administration is concerned about disaster precautions, but there is always more that can be done.