From time to time I will have a guest blogger from our staff contribute an article. This week our guest blogger is Mr. Ben Harris, a structural engineer on our team. Thanks Ben for contributing some very timely advice.
Mike King
Tornado and Hurricane Shelter Designs
In recent months, we’ve seen tornadoes tear through our country in unprecedented numbers with unprecedented damage, and hurricanes have done unprecedented damage in recent years. We often ask ourselves two questions after such extreme events:
1. Do we have the best plan in place for protecting our students when such events occur?
Typically hurricanes occur over a much longer period with much greater warning than tornadoes. Therefore, this concern is more often raised in areas where tornadoes are common. People often only realize a tornado is approaching within a few minutes of its arrival. Therefore, advance warning systems such as sirens are a critical part of any emergency plan with tornadoes.
Existing structures are often falsely assumed to be reliable because of their age. However, older structures are often sheltered by adjacent structures from straight-line winds that do not behave like tornadoes, which are much more erratic. FEMA 361 “Design and Construction Guidance for Community Safe Rooms” has an Appendix which can be used to evaluate existing structures and help determine the relative safety of different areas of existing buildings so that children can be placed in the safest areas of buildings.
2. Are we appropriately designing and constructing our new buildings to protect our students from such events?
One of the greatest challenges for Owners and Designers during the design process is to establish the level of safety desired for extreme events, and this is often overlooked. Designing for a very unlikely, very extreme event (above and beyond minimum building code requirements) often becomes a very expensive option which people often eliminate because of the high cost. However, there are numerous options which are cost-effective ways to provide a higher level of protection, or “harden” an area of schools without designating them as official Community Shelters. FEMA 361 “Design and Construction Guidance for Community Safe Rooms” can be used to better understand Community Shelter Design. However, the actual design event can be lowered to a more likely event if the budget will not allow design for the events recommended in FEMA 361. Furthermore, because school communities often have standard operating procedures and Staff that know each other, organizing a school-only emergency plan is often much simpler than trying to provide proper signage and access and protocols for an official Community Shelter. In addition, FEMA 361 guidance on debris resistant systems (such as heavy gage roof deck with closely spaced roof joists) and baffling of ductwork and personnel access (as is typical for Airport Restrooms) should be followed because these items are often keys to successful shelter designs even though they are not the primary cost items.
Benchmark H. Harris, P.E., S.E.
You bring up an excellent point about whether schools have the best plan in place for protecting students from such events as hurricanes or tornadoes. Since the tornado/shelter in place drill paperwork is sent in at the end of the year, some of the schools I have worked at did not consistently abide by our district's mandated drill schedule.
ReplyDeleteJen Martin/ TSU
What are the minimal requirements for building schools in areas prone to hurricanes and tornadoes?
ReplyDeleteIs there an entity that monitors the safety plans of schools regarding their tornado/hurricane plan or is that monitored by local school district personnel? The schools in the district where I have most recently worked are VERY old and hallways are exterior requiring the students to go outside in order to go to designated safety areas. I know that we had one tornado drill last school year but since we were not under the threat of bad weather the element of time was not a problem. I have concerns however when time is of the essence and kids are having to go outside to go to a more secure location. Who monitors the safety plan?
ReplyDeleteNatural disasters have been prevalent in the news as of late. Whether these events are anomalies to an unusual year, or the heightened media focus on yearly occurrences that have effected school facilities, is uncertain to me. Because I have been following the events a bit more carefully due to occupation, I have noticed the devastation one of these acts of nature can have on a community and their school district. Whether it is fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, etc., school districts and communities should spend the extra cash to ensure they have safeguarded their school facilities against natural disasters they are more prone to encounter.
ReplyDeleteIn researching seismic building codes for schools, which I speculate would be the same for lateral wind forces, local building codes often mimic the national recommendations of different organizations. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) would be a good start to determine recommended codes for structural integrity.
In regards to an entity that monitors safety plans (drills, EOPs, etc.) of school districts in Texas...The Texas School Safety Center (TSSC). Also, you may look at TEC sec 37.108.
Excellent Topic! How do you put a price tag on the safety of lives? And how do you plan/prepare for the unpredictable? I remember the days when our schools were the community shelter for tornadoes and bomb attacks. We have all seen the remnant effects of tornadoes and hurricanes, but only think about prevention or safety after the fact. I remember once being in a portable building when the sirens alerted us of a tornado, just as a hail storm began. I could not get the kids into the main building safely. We did not receive the warning in time. So for my comment, should not an active monitoring, notification system be an integral part of this type of planning. Remember too that in a large demographic area in Texas, one area can be experiencing clear skies while another area can be stricken.
ReplyDeleteI worked in a school district where there was not a safe area. We had tornadoes come through the area and there was no place to go with the kids. We ended up with kids on the floors in the administration offices and the teachers' bathrooms. It had to be one of the scariest moments of my life thinking about all those kids whose lives were in our hands and we had not prepared appropriately for their safety. Of course, this was all happening in the middle of TAKS week!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very important consideration for the entire community. After the tornadoes hit is too late to plan.
ACarter
TSU
What about the issue of portable buildings and extreme weather? There are numerous portable buildings on school campuses all over Texas, as schools are running out of room and portables are inexpensive and quickly asembled. My opinion is to make a safe area or room on campus that is accessible to all, instead of breaking the bank and designing an entire campus to withstand a category 4 hurricane or an F-4 tornado. I really don't think there are many school districts that could afford the latter option, especially in our current economic system.
ReplyDeleteMaking decisions regarding the safety of students in schools and people in our communities seems to be a major issue. This is a topic that should be addressed during the collaboration of educators and community members during the planning phase. A decision as important as student safety and/or community safety should include all major stakeholders. Also, other monies to address budget concerns for building official Community Shelters may be available. Mr. Harris, thank you for bringing to our attention this important part of building educational facilities.
ReplyDeleteJ. Barron, TSU
Did the schools that have gone through the disaster of a tornado in the last couple of years create safe rooms or replace parts of the school that can withstand one? I would like to know of schools that have done such to be informed of the cost. It seems it would be out of reach for a lot of schools right now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with c. wayland that student safety is paramount to a schools basic functions. However, building costs is a real world consideration. The blog stopped short of offering a solid solution to the problem. I would like to see further attention paid to this issue
ReplyDeleteI agree with an earlier post that speaks of how drills and security measures are often poorly put together and enacted in schools. Part of this is from a lack of knowledge from those who are planning and the other is the aim of not getting in the way of instruction. However, safety comes first in order for students to learn effectively. In fact, I believe that students would be more receptive to learn when the have been fully prepared by practicing drills. We need more guidance as school leaders in preparation of safety and security measures in order to better serve students in school and we need sound structures and plans to ensure everyone's safety.
ReplyDeleteTodd J/TSU
My concern lies with Mercer's and the degree to which Texas schools have to depend on portable shelters for classrooms. I have been at one campus for seven years and in those years, we have had bond elections. Instead of seeing the portables removed and replaced, our district increased the number of portables to the location instead of building a solid structure. I also have concerns for the number of students a building can hold in times of emergency. When we are at capacity and we hold the drills, it seems unlikely that we are offering true protection to all students.
ReplyDeleteVKing - TSU
I was pleased to learn about the FEMA guidelines regarding tornado safety. I did not know such guidance existed and I wondered how many other educational leaders are equally in the dark. For those of us living in “tornado alley” this information would be a great tool for everyone to know about.
ReplyDeleteRoger Edwards from the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK has some very useful information in addition to the FEMA guidance (http://www. spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/school.html). He recommended using the FEMA guide to locate the safest place in your existing building as a safe room. Edwards stated that many campus leaders automatically put students in the hall, but if the hallway is lined with glass this is not an appropriate position. The article offered additional rather common sense approaches to safety.
A report from Jason Bacaj of the Anniston Star in Clay County, Alabama stated that in light of last year’s deadly tornado in Alabama that hit a high school, the Alabama Legislature passed legislation that requires all new school construction to include safety rooms for tornado protection. Since the legislation became effective two new schools have been built with safe rooms containing walls that can withstand 250 mph wind! In light of the April 2011 deadly tornadoes that struck Alabama I am sure the citizens of Alabama consider the tax dollars well spent (http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/14506251-Clay-County-school-to-get-top-rate-storm-shelter). Some areas in Texas that are prone to tornadoes may be interested in such a policy as well.
PHarper - TSU
I agree with the statement that faculty and students knowing the emergency procedure is vitally important. I have known of districts who mostly skim over the tornado drill policy and whose only tornado drills were when the actual tornado sirens were going off. I agree with a previous post that some form of conformity would be helpful even in areas that are less prone to tornadoes and severe weather than others
ReplyDeleteSince all the bad weather has made us practice more drills, we are ready for any type of disaster that may come. We are more proactive to protect our students, teacher, and parents. The key is knowing the weather is about to happen before bad weather hits our areas.
ReplyDeleteJ. King TSU
This is a very important point to consider. In a district, in which I no longer work, the tornado "shelter" was the library. The library was adjacent to a hallway with much glass. The walls of the library were mostly glass. This is a risk all around. The construction of this building in relation to a tornado threat was not adequate at all. But in these trying financial times it will be very easy to forgo the extra mile.
ReplyDeleteJ. Purser TSU
Whether a school district finds it affordable to provide adequate shelter for the entire community or not, there are additional considerations. One such scenario is a sporting event where the district is hosting another school and a tornado is approaching. In such a situation, a plan and possibly structural accommodations should be in place to shelter students and fans from both teams.
ReplyDeleteJ. Barron, TSU
In respone to question one, at my district, I feel our protection plan in the event of a tornado is very weak. We have an area in the back of the classroom that is blocked off by a wall in the shape of a house that students are to hide behind. Unfortunately, those walls are very weak... So weak that a teacher used the wall to brace himself to stand and it fell over!!! Therefore, if a tornado is ripping through our school and the wall has pressure on it, who knows if it will fall on the children or not... I believe this unstable wall is much more dangerous than the tornado!!
ReplyDeleteWaco ISD is working hard to build new schools throughout our district. I have been in a few and as far as the office. I have not seen the classrooms so I am not sure how safe they are or if there is a shelter area...
B.Hassell (TSu)
In regards to the last post about the wall falling over on someone who leaned against it...I would ask this: who is in charge of inspecting these things? Who is liable if someone gets hurt? Is there such a thing as a state mandated safety inspection?
ReplyDeleteHow do you get a district to spend money on protection when they have never had a tornado before and funds are difficult to come by? Author John Kotter suggests that to bring about change you need to take the time to create a sense of urgency in as many of the stakeholders as possible.
ReplyDeletedtownsend tsu
Trying to prepare for a tornado is very difficult. Every campus has a management plan based on the safist place for kids to be in the event of a storm. When we made our crisis management plan I have an engineer come into my building to show me when the best places to cover kids. Our main building is only 30 years old but it was not made of brick walls on the inside. Our building just does not have enough space for quality cover. We made a plan based on the best cover we could provide and hope we never need it.
ReplyDeleteCGibbs(TSU)
Tornados are a frightening fact in North Texas. We have two locations for students and faculty to go in case of this emergency. I have been reminded about the urgency in careful planning and preparation. Practice drills are imperative to student safety. We also have added portable buildings to our campus, and we have not addressed this in our evacuation plan. The time is now!
ReplyDelete