EvacuKids

Midwestern schools have tornado drills; California schools, earthquake drills; even New York schools following 9/11 performed mock terrorist evacuations. Most schools prepare their students for disasters unique to their regions. In New Orleans, to date, schools offer no programming devoted to hurricane preparedness. The majority of children in New Orleans schools were here five years ago, tiny witnesses to the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. They have their own experiences of packing suitcases, hectic and hurried evacuations, and most devastatingly, not knowing when they might return to their homes. Following Katrina, schools offered counseling; tutoring to make up for lost classroom time; a safe environment when many homes were not; for this we can be thankful. But five years later, and schools have just as much responsibility to their students, as the city does to its citizens; to foster a culture of preparedness should another storm befall us. Unfortunately, none of the schools we've interviewed do any type of formal hurricane evacuation and preparation work at school.