The Beaverton School District recognizes that what we do now before an earthquake will determine what our lives will be like after a tremor. Although there's still much work to be done, the District has taken several steps to better prepare our schools for an earthquake.
Conduct at least two earthquake drills during the school year; one during the Great Oregon Shakeout and one drill on the school's schedule.
Provide two-way radios for communication during crisis situations.
Created a School Emergency Operations Plan template.
Updated the District Emergency Operations Plan (as of fall 2017).
Supplied all 2,600 classrooms in the district with 5-gallon emergency buckets and lids. The buckets contain a thermal blanket, glow stick, hand sanitizer, emergency vest, whistle, face mask and first aid kit.
Supplied all front offices with a 55-gallon yellow bin containing a hand-cranked weather radio, white reflective vests, solar charger, cowhide gloves, bullhorn with batteries and a whistle.
If damage is minor and infrastructure is mostly intact, bus and other transportation will proceed as normal. If damage is severe, buses will not run, and parents/guardians will be required to pick up their students at school. Schools will use a controlled release process to reunify students with their parents/guardians. A controlled release is not a typical end-of-school-day dismissal. Parents/guardians will be required to have identification readily available to pick up their students. Parents/guardians can expect the reunification process to take several hours. Parents/guardians should keep in mind that reunification is a process that protects both the safety of students and provides for an accountable transfer of custody from the school to a recognized custodial parent or guardian. Individuals listed with the school under a student's "Additional and Emergency Contacts" who have been granted permission to pick up the student are permitted to pick up the student during a controlled release, as long as identification is shown. Details will be communicated to parents/guardians via ParentSquare.
If communication systems remain functional, Beaverton School District will communicate with parents/guardians using ParentSquare. If communication systems fail, parents and guardians are expected to pick up students from school as soon possible.
All Oregonians should make their emergency plan today. Have a meaningful conversation with family and friends about what you'll do during an emergency. Develop a plan for how you'll contact each other, where you'll meet and what you'll do in different situations. To get started, visit FEMA's websitefor step-by-step instructions.
Build A Kit
A disaster can happen anywhere you live or work. Once it happens, it may take days or even weeks for responders to reach your family. You may have to go without food, water or electricity. Build an emergency kit with two-week's worth of food, water and other necessary supplies for your home. Build a smaller kit for you car, work and even your child's backpack. Include items such as a water bottle, snack, flashlight, whistle, emergency blanket, wipes, hand sanitizer and a family picture. Think about the items that would make you feel more comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. The American Red Cross is a good source for a list of emergency kit items.
Be Two-weeks-ready
For many years, emergency management officials have talked about the importance of being prepared for 72 hours, but recent disasters have shown us that it may take days or even weeks for first responders and resource support to reach disaster-affected communities. While 72 hours is a good place to start, the goal should now be two-weeks ready. For more information, please visit the 2 Weeks Ready webpage or the Oregon Office of Emergency Management YouTube channel.
Getting Started
Being prepared for disasters and emergencies can seem like a big job. Many people don't know where to start, so they never start at all. The Do 1 Thing organization can help you take small steps that make a big difference in an emergency.
Because of our community's generous support of the 2014 and 2020 Bonds, the district has built several new schools and seismically upgraded others. During an emergency, the following schools can serve as evacuation centers in partnership and under the direction of local Red Cross or other government agencies: Aloha High School, Aloha-Huber Park K-8, Arts & Communication Magnet Academy (ACMA), Five Oaks Middle School, Mountainside High School, Tumwater Middle School, plus Beaver Acres, Bethany, Bonny Slope, Cooper Mountain, Hazeldale, Sato, Vose and William Walker Elementary Schools.
The following middle schools will be seismically upgraded as part of the 2020 Bond over the next several years and will be able to serve as evacuation centers in the future: Cedar Park, Five Oaks, Highland Park, Meadow Park, Mountain View and Whitford..
