HomeMy WebLinkAboutDuck and Cover 1974 14 / foresight / November - December 1974
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By ESTHER KELLNER / Wayne County, Indiana, Civil Defense
In addition to her duties with Wayne County M r '
Civil Defense, Mrs. Kellner is a nationally known
writer, former editor of a national magazine, author
of 12 books, and three times winner of the Indiana ce `
University Awmrl for distinguished fiction. She is `° ' ..
listed in "Who's Who of American Women" and -,
similar references here and abroad.
Long before Christmas bells start to ring, Paul D. ' `
Smith, Director of Civil Defense for Wayne County, - t-_ -.
Indiana, begins his race to reach the schools ahead of the � i' i
tornado season. • * � J-
Richmond, Indiana, in the mideast part of the State, X ``""
where his office is located, and its surrounding commu -
nities are subject not only to tomadoes but to other
destructive spring and summer storms. Therefore, Smith
makes early contacts with the 45 schools in the county so PRACTICING TORNADO SAFETY / At
that civil defense training for students can be either Charles School, Richmond, Indiana, the i
third grade teacher, Mrs. Jean Bradway,.:
introduced or reinforced, with time to spare. guides her class through a tornado drill.
He has devised and is using a school plan which has The school has no basement and the '
'"
been very successful in training children to protect them- children take refuge in central corridors mss in the event of a "tornado warning."
selves and in getting teachers and parents interested in - X
safety measures. Richmond Palladium -Item Photo
School Survey Held Personal Visits Made
For starters, Director Smith's office sends a double- On request, Smith or a trained assistant visits a school
faced postal card to every school in the county. One side that is making a disaster plan for the first time, inspects
asks the cooperation of the principal in a tornado pre - the building, and suggests the best shelter areas. If the
paredness effort. The other side, to be filled out and school has never had a tornado drill, he explains the
returned as promptly as possible, has a brief question- procedures to the school staff and supervises a simulated
naire: drill. If a school reports some doubt about its prepara-
"Have you given any civil defense course or instruc- tions, Smith observes a drill and either approves the
tion? procedure or suggests changes.
"Have you had any tornado drills during the past year? As part of a tornado safety educational effort, special
"Do you plan to have tornado drills this year? If so, programs are presented to schools. These might be pre
when will these start? sented to separate classes or to the entire student body if
"Do you have a civil defense plan? the school is a small one. For this project, Director Smith
"Do you have school bus evacuation drills? often uses seasoned speakers (volunteers) who are accus-
Basing his plans upon the results of the School Survey, tomed to working with children, sometimes a team, man
Director Smith makes a variety of services available to and woman, for the larger schools. Among the partici-
local schools. They include school safety evaluations, pants are members of Richmond's fire and police depart-
tornado programs for schools, and programs for school- ments.
• related adults. All are promoted through local television The program opens with a brief talk about the nature
and radio broadcasts and through stories in local news- and danger of tornadoes and the need for a safety
papers. program to protect school children. This is followed by a
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showing of the National Weather Service 15- minute film, lack which has consistently plagued Wayne County. At
Tornado!, which always fills the young audience with awe present, in accordance with the Wayne County civil
and respect for this most deadly of countryside storms. defense program, "tornado watches" and "tornado warn -
After the film, the boys and girls are invited to partici- ings" are channeled to Director Smith through the State
pate in a question- and - answer period. It's always a police radio and WKBV, a local radio station with a direct
success. weather line.
As a follow -up, teachers often ask their classes to write Civil defense personnel are immediately alerted by
poems, stories, or short essays about tornadoes. Students telephone, and report to the Emergency Operating Center,
who have actually experienced such storms, or who have as do a staff of radio operators and volunteer secretaries
heard first -hand accounts of them, are encouraged to from the Business and Professional Women's Club. All
share these with their classmates. Sheets of tornado safety spotters and schools in the county are alerted by a special
information and instructions are given to the children to civil defense network of radio and telephone bulletins.
be taken home to their parents. But Director Smith feels that the success of such a
Director Smith makes similar tornado programs avail- setup must depend upon pure luck —that all citizens,
able to teachers' meetings, mother's groups, PTA dele- especially those in schools, need an accelerated alerting
gates, and other adults working with school children, such system for real protection. The installation of a county -
as teacher aides and school bus drivers. wide siren warning system is a major project on his civil
defense agenda.
Major Problem: A Warning Gap Of course it will be costly
alert 45 schools and 1 — an estimated $135,000 to
3 small towns plus Richmond,
One of the major problems facing many midwest where more than half of the county's 80,000 people live.
communities is the lack of adequate warning facilities, a But not so costly as a tornado that takes children's lives. N