Posted: 4/28/04
By Barbara Brown
A tornado can be scary for practically anyone, but especially for someone under 3 feet tall.
The North Branch school district participated in a tornado drill last week in an effort to take some of the fear out of experiencing a tornado.
Thursday afternoon marked the statewide volunteer tornado drill for school districts and towns in Minnesota.
Each spring, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for the state promotes severe weather awareness with a drill to test responses of emergency personnel, school administration and residents alike.
At 1:45 p.m. on April 22, every student, teacher and administrator in the district participated in the drill.
When the siren wailed, students were ushered into safe areas, asked to take a position on their knees with their heads close to their legs and covered by their arms.
Kindergartners through seniors in high school participated, said Sara Thompson, North Branchís spokesperson.
Students at Main Street School hunkered down in an elevator room, the basement storage area and a long basement hallway.
During the drill, Principal Sara Svir explained to students that although Thursdayís activity was a drill, they would be expected to follow the same procedure should a real tornado threaten the area.
Staff then turned off the lights in the basement to give the students a brief idea of how dark the area would be should power fail.
All of the students handled the drill well and none was agitated or outwardly nervous.
Thatís part of the reason the district participates in the drill, Thompson said.
She said the drill is a way to get students used to the procedures and events that could occur during severe weather.
The North Branch district has had to use the tornado warning procedures only once in the past 10 years when severe weather threatened the area during the school day.
ìThese drills are not mandated like our fire drills,î Thompson said. ìItís taken very seriously and itís an important piece of the safety plan.î
Not only does the tornado drill allow students to become aware of the sounds and actions associated with a tornado warning, the district staff is tested on their efficiency by timing themselves while safely performing the drill.
Students and school staff also may have to respond to severe weather after school hours when students are being taken home on the bus.
In that case, school bus drivers and aides have instructions on how to safely evacuate their buses and find the safest place ñ nearby ditches away from power lines and trees ñ where students will be instructed to lay face down.
Where the children went and times
Main Street School: used basement and interior rooms; less than 4 minutes; 375 participated
Intermediate site: used interior hallways and interiors rooms; less than 5 minutes; about 320 participated
Primary School: used interior classrooms; less than 5 minutes; about 775 participated.
Middle School: used interior classrooms and hallways; about 5 minutes; about 1,270 participated.
High School: used locker rooms, interior rooms; less than 5 minutes, including time to get students off athletic fields; about 1,000 participated.
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