Now more than ever is the safety of children at school being questioned. In a recent presentation the Red Cross worked to ease some of this tension by helping to educate teens, and administrators, on what it means to be ready for a disaster on a school campus.

  “Learn, practice, share”, is supported by the Red Cross, “it’s just as important to share the information with others as it is to know it yourself”.

   In schools the two big steps are to practice and share. A Twitter poll found more kids then not, at 57%, believe they personally know what to do in an emergency, however, overwhelmingly schools do not feel confident on disaster action plans.

   “I feel like the more we go through drills the more confidence we have on what to do in the situation”, Sarah Gomez (12).

   Not only does effective drills increase student body confidence it also increases the effectiveness of response times.

   “Teachers rarely have to tell students what to do when leaving class for a fire drill” Hailey Hanson (10), “we’ve done it enough times to know what to do”.

    The Red Cross also explained how to be prepared for emergency at home. The steps to being Red Cross ready buy assembling and emergency kit, and creating evacuation plans for your household.

   “I have so many pets, I can’t believe I don’t have a plan for getting them out of the house in case of an emergency” Ariana Gonzalez (12).

   It’s vital for young adults like those in the audience to be prepared for the possibilities of natural disasters. Many who in the next year or two be living on their own are eager to find information to keep themselves safe.