If You Were Safe During a Hurricane, You Might Want to Thank an Educator

As we think of what might have been with Hurricane Irma, or still is for the millions in the Caribbean, let’s stop for a second to celebrate what was for the thousands of unsung heroes that sprung into action to serve their communities: Educators.

Community First

As Hurricane Irma bore down on the state of Florida and millions scrambled for provisions, hundreds of school administrators, custodians, and nutrition professionals were not among them. Instead, they were setting out to make sure the estimated 70,000 residents seeking shelter during the storm had a safe place to eat and sleep.

For many called into action this meant setting aside care for their own property as they planned for the masses to show up at their school’s doorstep.

Dave Brown, Principal of Strawberry Crest High school in Tampa, was among them. On the morning of September 13 he received a text message from the head of school district security activating a disaster protocol that would transform his school, usually bustling with 2,000 students, into a special needs shelter for the most vulnerable.

Just two hours north in Alachua County, Jeff Wilson shifted roles from Dean of Students at Westwood Middle School into crisis manager. As the storm approached, both leaders worked with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure their schools had everything they needed to make life for their temporary residents safe and comfortable.

Tasks included installing generators, maintaining a steady supply of oxygen, providing regular meals, and keeping evacuees apprised of developments throughout the storm.

According to Brown, evacuees began to arrive almost immediately, and not all suffered from physical conditions; some were just alone and scared. The last arrivals included 12 elderly residents from an assisted living facility and three migrant families seeking refuge.

Wilson noted that virtually every resident at his shelter came with a life-saving electronic device, thus heightening the importance of keeping the four temporary generators installed at the site operational.

Teamwork

Throughout the ordeal Twitter pages of school districts across the state filled with images of teamwork. According to Brown, his assistant principals did not have to report for duty, yet they did anyway. Likewise, custodians and nutrition professionals at Strawberry Crest were required to work 12-hour shifts, yet they stayed around the clock. “They didn’t have to be there the entire time,” Brown noted, “but they were. We had four people and they started cooking right away.”

Westwood’s principal James TenBieg was most impressed by the level of coordination between schools and outside agencies.

“It was a whirlwind...[the] health department kicked in tremendously. Everything clicked and worked almost to perfection. If there was a bump, we all communicated. If it was a generator, a refrigerator, we had backups. If someone needed medication, that was our priority.”

And bumps did occur. When one generator failed at Westwood MS, School Resource Officer, Freddy Perez, coordinated with the health department to install a backup.

TenBieg also mentioned how working alongside nurses heightened his appreciation for the functions health professionals perform day in and day out. “It blew my mind...they are on top of their game.”

Principal Barry Brown of Oak Grove Middle School in Clearwater, Florida, shared the same appreciation for the agencies called in to coordinate the response at his school. In addition to housing hundreds of human residents, Oak Grove MS was a designated pet shelter. “I give credit to the county pet shelter,” Brown recalled, “they set up crates, they were phenomenal.”

Leading Together

In speaking with other school leaders there was a general sense of “it’s all in a day’s work.” After all, school leaders are accustomed to wearing many different hats during the day. But a kennel manager?

If there was one common message from all school leaders it was that in times of crisis you are not always in charge; you have to let professionals in their field do their job, and be there to support when needed. Barry Brown put it like this:

“I am used to being the commander You have a lot of leadership around you, so let them do what they need to be doing. They’re all leaders in their field.”

The role educators play in public safety is not limited to storms. During the H1N1 virus, for example, schools across the nation played a critical role vaccinating millions of Americans. But the responsiveness and level of flexibility educators exhibited should not be taken for granted. Nor should we assume that all public servants are trained and willing to act in times of crisis.

As the storms passed, not a single person was harmed in a school shelter. If you have not done so already, take a moment to thank an educator today.