Hurricanes or Tornadoes
Protect your students in the event of a hurricane or destructive windstorm; or a tornado, an enormous whirling cone of devastating winds.
Unlike earthquakes, advance warning can often be provided prior to the onset of a hurricane or tornado. The National Weather Service (NWS), a government weather-forecasting organization, currently operates 122 weather-forecast offices nationwide and can issue repeated hurricane and tornado warnings via radio and television stations and over the Internet (
When the NWS issues a Hurricane Watch (HWA) for a coastal region, a hurricane is forecast within thirty-six hours. Seagoing vessels indicate HWAs by hoisting one red flag with a black square. A Hurricane Warning (HWW) means a hurricane is forecast within twenty-four hours. Seagoing vessels indicate HWWs by hoisting two red flags with black squares.
Because of advance warnings for hurricanes and tornadoes, your school should be able to implement its emergency plan for wind-related disasters. Part of the plan will direct you to evacuate your students in an orderly manner so their parents can take them to a secure shelter. Next, you may receive instructions for battening down equipment, boarding up windows, securing classrooms, etc. After that, you may need to use a phone tree or list of people to call in case of emergencies to receive further directives. Finally, you'll be directed to get to a secure shelter yourself, as soon as possible.
The NWS's Storm Protection Center (SPC), a forecasting agency focusing on thunderstorms and cyclones, will issue a Tornado Watch (TOA), indicating that climatic conditions favor the creation of tornadoes. A Tornado Warning (TOR), on the other hand, means that a tornado is imminent and that everyone needs to get to a secure shelter immediately. Again, follow your school's emergency plan for evacuating your students, securing equipment and classrooms, making phone calls, and leaving to find a secure shelter.
