Remember in elementary school, lining up at the classroom door waiting to be escorted out while the fire alarm rang? Or sitting under a desk during an earthquake drill?
As adults we no longer participate in emergency drills. We are expected to know what to do in the case of an emergency. But really, do you think about what could happen and how you would handle it? We hear of disasters in the news all the time but living in Southern Oregon, we don’t worry about tornadoes, tsunamis or big earthquakes.
So what constitutes an emergency? I had to stop thinking about the worst case scenarios and realize that an emergency could be a snow storm that knocks out power to the school, a wreck on the Siskiyou Summit or a breakout of the flu.
In light of the recent spread of the H1N1 flu and the earthquake disaster that occurred in Haiti, I realized that I don’t really know how to prepare for an emergency beyond sitting under a desk or standing in an archway. So, I went online and you know, you really can find just about anything using the internet and I found this checklist for student preparedness:
• Make sure your information in SOU Alert is accurate and you know how you want to be notified in case of an emergency.
• You have programmed 911 into your cell phone so you can call quickly in case of an emergency.
• Your roommates/friends know how to contact your parents or other emergency contacts.
• You have an entry in your cell phone named “In Case of Emergency” or ICE so that police/fire/EMS can contact your emergency contact if you cannot speak.
• You know more than one way to get out of every building where you have classes.
• You know what and the location of items you would take if you had to evacuate.
• When you go out at night, you have a plan (and a back up plan) on how you will get home.
• You know how to get to the Student Health and Wellness Center if you get sick.
• You know the housing staff for your residential hall in case there is an emergency.
• You have an emergency kit including but not limited to: a flashlight, a radio (and new batteries), non-perishable food, and a first aid kit.
I encourage everyone out there to take the time and follow through with the suggestions listed on this student emergency preparedness list. Who knows when Mother Nature or some other phenomenon will take us unaware? I want to be as prepared as possible, how about you?
