Critical Actions In Aftermath of Natural Disasters.

As educators in storm-prone southern Florida, we have discovered natural disasters can strike at any time, impacting children, families, and public schools. In times of catastrophe, public school systems often become the essential lifeline to the communities they serve.

To understand the imperatives for school administrators following a natural disaster, we interviewed principals, assistant principals, crisis intervention specialists, and district coordinators of psychological services one year after Hurricane Andrew, which struck in August 1992. We examined how they coped in the aftermath and what they learned in the process.

What follows are the most essential actions they suggested for school system administrators when a disaster strikes.

* Rapidly establish a means of communication.

When a natural disaster occurs, telephone service can be interrupted or destroyed. Therefore devising creative means of communication is essential. Establishing a telephone tree before a crisis is one idea. One Florida administrator sat on his roof calling faculty members on a cellular telephone. Other principals had to drive to locate staff and arrange assistance for them.

* Conduct a quick assessment of the damage and make appropriate accommodations.

Administrators and faculty can inventory the damage caused to their school and classrooms. Surveying all buildings in terms of usability and safety is essential before students return. Structural damage likely will result in a shortage of instructional space, so other accommodations will be needed.

* Prioritize needs and establish authority to make site-based decisions.

After Hurricane Andrew, tent cities, medical assistance areas, and food distribution tents were established. Thousands of armed personnel and volunteers from all over the country arrived to help. Florida administrators stressed that military involvement enabled schools to open three weeks after the hurricane struck. Troops moved tons of building remnants, mangled fences, and uprooted trees from school campuses. Site-based decision making helped make areas accessible and reduced potential safely hazards, administrators said.

* Address the emotional and survival needs of faculty, staff and students.

Crisis counseling is imperative and must be provided to all affected schools to help not only students, but also faculty and staff. After Hurricane Andrew, the primary burdens and stressors were placed on adults, who often were more emotionally overwhelmed than the children.

Small and large group counseling sessions are extremely beneficial. All affected individuals require time to emotionally revisit traumatic events until they have attained some level of cognitive mastery over their experiences. During these sessions, participants talk, draw, and write about their feelings, thoughts and behaviors; this should be continued as long as needed.

* Arrange for training and support for mental health caregivers.

In recent years, the National Organization for Victims Assistance, the American Psychological Association, and the American Red Cross have developed training programs to assist mental health personnel who work in schools following a disaster.

Though mental health staff have skills in addressing the emotional needs of individuals, they can benefit from additional training in how to respond to a large-scale crisis.

Specific training in stress reactions, stress response, issues of loss and grief, coping skills, debriefing techniques, and crisis resolution are the most valuable. Comprehensive training will help mental health workers conceptualize a framework to organize their interventions and establish a link to the schools and community.

* Designate a liaison to provide feedback to the news media.

This will provide consistency of shared information, rumor control, and reduced interruptions to staff members. Media control can enlighten others to the impact and needs of the schools following a natural disaster and establish partnerships between citizens and schools. After Hurricane Andrew, schools in Miami were adopted by other schools across the nation.

* Encourage creative instructional methods using lessons learned in the aftermath.

Students' emotional needs must be addressed before beginning academic instruction. Daily discussions in which everyone relates their experience can create a strong bond and feeling of community among class members.

In dealing with lessons from disasters, teachers can use real-life examples to teach about math, weather, geology, history, geography, politics, economics, social science, psychology, and English. A crisis can open individuals to new learning and teachers are presented with the ultimate teachable moment.

* Identify and secure all available resources and implement systemic interventions to meet school and community needs.

Administrators and their support staff can conduct an assessment of the needs of their school and help secure resources. One school created a Teachers Helping Teachers bulletin board listing the needs of staff (e.g., food, child care, a place to do laundry, space to store items). A list was posted with names of volunteers willing to assist in specific areas.

The PTA and the Student Council provided funds for gift certificates or household items. Donations were obtained from community businesses and schools across the country. Gifts were distributed by the counseling and school psychology staff This provided an opportunity to touch base with members of the school community most affected and offer psychological assistance as needed.

Guest speakers addressed parents and teachers on crisis reactions, stress reduction, and coping. The primary benefit of many of these interventions was that they established the school as a source of security and stability in a fearful and anxious community.

Philip Lazarus is an associate professor and director of the school psychology program at Florida International University in Miami. Beth Gillespie is a school psychologist with the Palm Beach County, Fla., Public Schools.