Schools give best attempts for safety during disasters

By Trinity Bishop on October 9, 2023

The tornado drills that take place in school are to allow students an insight into what would happen if there was a tornado warning during school hours. However, there aren’t always tornado shelters available to the students, which means there is no safe underground space in case there is a tornado.

“I think that hiding in the halls would be a bad idea, since if the tornado is strong enough, it would go through the doors and break the lockers, sending locker doors into kids’ heads and arms. Then hiding in a gym room is even worse since the only protection there is the other kids’ heads,” freshman Jasper Warner said.

The importance of this issue is that the “safe areas” students are put into during drills or warnings aren’t safe. For example, the hallway is not a safe place for students to be during a tornado, as they can reach up to about 302 mph at times, which means it can tear through that hallway within seconds, likely killing or injuring most inside.

Peet English teacher Nathan Norby said, “There is never going to be an ideal place in the school to keep students safe during a tornado, but it is important to get students to the location as quickly as possible.”

According to the National Weather Service, offices and bathrooms, or anywhere without windows and hazardous objects/equipment can be safer for tornado drills/warnings. The National Weather Service also states, “The safest place in the home is the interior part of a basement. If there is no basement, go to an inside room, without windows, on the lowest floor. This could be a center hallway, bathroom, or closet. For added protection, get under something sturdy such as a heavy table or workbench. If possible, cover your body with a blanket, sleeping bag, or mattress, and protect your head with anything available–even your hands. Avoid taking shelter where there are heavy objects, such as pianos or refrigerators, on the area of floor that is directly above you. They could fall though the floor if the tornado strikes your house.