AUGUST 12, 2014, St. Louis, Missouri… If child or loved one is heading for school this year, can you really be confident they’ll be safe in their classroom or dorm room if a gunman appears or other disaster occurs?
At least 74 school shootings have occurred since December 2012, when an assault at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, left 20 children and six school staff dead, along with the shooter and his mother.
No school is totally safe. Shootings have occurred at elementary, middle and high schools, colleges, universities and trade schools in every type of neighborhood.
In many cases the schools were locked-down by authorities for the duration of the disaster, trapping students in classrooms without protection, communications, provisions or restroom access.
More than 20 states today require lockdown or similar types of drills and 30 states require schools to have broader emergency plans, according to a recent New York Times article.
While many colleges and schools are prepared for unforeseen disaster, including shootings, tornadoes and earthquakes with emergency plans and supplies in place, most schools are not as prepared as they want to be.
Put simply: Every school should do their best to keep students as safe as possible. The American Red Cross recommends that schools be prepared for disaster with, at a minimum, the basic supplies listed below:
• Water-one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation)
• Food-non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation)
• Flashlights
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radios
• Extra batteries
• First aid kits
• Basic medications and medical items
• Multi-purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Emergency blanket
• Maps of the area
If your child or a loved one is heading for college or attending school this year, can you really be confident they’ll be safe in their classroom or dorm room or apartment if a deranged shooter tries to take control, or other disaster occurs?
Are you assured that emergency preparedness kits that include portable toilets, medical supplies, water and provisions will be available in every classroom and dorm room to help your loved one endure any disaster?
If not, it may be best to provide your loved one with a “back to school” emergency survival kit equipped with everything they need to help ensure their safety. It is better to be prepared than not when disaster arises.
For information, contact the experts at Quake Kare (http://www.quakekare.com). St. Louis-based Quake Kare is a national supplier of emergency preparedness kits designed to help people survive school building lockdowns, earthquakes, floods and tornadoes.
Quake Kare is owned by Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis (LHB), a not-for-profit manufacturing and packaging organization with a dedicated social service mission.
In addition to individuals, families and schools, Quake Kare customers have included Google, Chevron, Verizon, Pfizer, Intel, Time Warner Cable, U.S. Department of the Treasury, American Express-Japan and more.
All Quake Kare revenue directly supports Lighthouse service programs for individuals who are legally blind and visually impaired in Missouri and Southwestern Illinois.
Contact Brittney Smithers at 800.542.3697 or 314.423.4333, or see the websites http://www.quakekare.com or http://www.lhbindustries.com.
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