*Special Episode* When Disaster Strikes: How Schools Build Resilience and Community Strength with Educators Mary Guarino and Beth Donofrio

What if schools could transform chaos into community strength during a natural distaster? Join me, Dr. Lisa Hassler, as we promise a deep dive into the critical topic of hurricane preparedness in American schools. In this episode, seasoned educators Mary Guarino and Beth Donofrio, share their poignant experiences in preparing and dealing with the aftermath of hurricanes. We promise you'll gain valuable insights into the physical, educational, and emotional challenges faced by school systems and the remarkable resilience needed to overcome them. Mary reveals her innovative approach to maintaining educational continuity in unconventional spaces in her first grade class, while Beth offers a compelling narrative about the challenges and complexities of having her high school serve as a storm shelter.

Explore how coastal communities are stepping up their hurricane preparations, that come with their own set of stressors, as extended school closures and disruptions take a mental and emotional toll on students and adults alike. We discuss how vital strategies, like maintaining communication through specific apps and backup plans, can alleviate fears of isolation and ensure a sense of connection during turbulent times.

Community collaboration emerges as a cornerstone of building resilience against future storms. Engage with us to learn how schools can remain safe havens of learning and growth, fostering stronger community ties and resilience against nature's most formidable trials. By sharing successful strategies and stories, we highlight the power of coming together to protect children and fortify community bonds. Join us in this important conversation, and perhaps you'll be inspired to contribute your own experiences as we strive to highlight the positive aspects of education and drive meaningful change. Don't forget to subscribe, share, and help us spread good practices that reinforce our communities.

Chapters

• 0:34 How Schools Prepare for Hurricanes
• 3:14 Effects of Hurricanes on Education: Classrooms to Shelters
• 3:50 Mary Guarino: Preparing Students and Schools for Hurricanes
• 18:13 Beth Donofrio: Building Resilient Communities and School Shelters
• 25:59 Call to Action

Transcript

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 0:09

Welcome to The Brighter Side of Education: Research, Innovation and Resources. I'm your host, Dr. Lisa Hassler, here to enlighten and brighten the classrooms in America through focused conversation on important topics in education. In each episode, I discuss problems we as teachers and parents are facing and what people are doing in their communities to fix it. What are the variables and how can we duplicate it to maximize student outcomes? Today we're exploring how schools prepare for hurricanes, from elementary classrooms to high school shelters, and the lasting impact these storms have on education and community resilience.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 0:50

Hurricanes pose a significant threat to our educational system, with far-reaching consequences that extend beyond the immediate physical damage. On average, these powerful storms inflict $34 billion in annual damages across the United States, with schools often bearing the brunt of extensive structural damage, flooding and loss of educational materials. The aftermath can force schools to close for weeks or even months, creating substantial academic setbacks as students lose valuable instructional time. Moreover, the financial strain of repairs and reconstruction can impact school budgets for years to come. But perhaps the most profound and often overlooked effect is the mental and emotional toll on students and staff. The trauma of experiencing a hurricane, coupled with a disruption of familiar routines and potential displacement, can lead to anxiety, ptsd and other mental health challenges. These issues can persist long after the physical rebuilding is complete, affecting academic performance and overall well-being. However, amidst these challenges, there is a silver lining the process of preparing for and recovering from hurricanes can significantly strengthen community bonds and resilience, as schools become focal points for preparation and often serve as shelters. They bring together diverse segments of the community and often serve as shelters. They bring together diverse segments of the community. Parents, teachers, students and local organizations work side by side, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose. This collaboration builds social capital, enhances communication networks and develops collective problem-solving skills that serve the community well beyond hurricane season. The experience of overcoming adversity together can lead to lasting partnerships and a more robust community infrastructure, better equipped to face future challenges of all kinds.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 2:31

As we prepare for Hurricane Milton down here in Florida on the Gulf side, we remember the lessons learned from Hurricane Ian two years ago, and our approach to hurricane preparedness must have a comprehensive approach, addressing not only the physical safety of our school buildings but also the educational continuity and emotional resilience of our entire school community. By working together educators, students, parents and the broader community we can build a more robust and responsive system to weather these storms, ensuring our schools remain safe havens of learning and growth even in the face of nature's most formidable challenges. In doing so, we not only protect our educational institutions but also forge stronger, more resilient communities capable of thriving in the face of adversity. Today we're exploring how schools prepare for hurricanes, from the elementary classrooms to high school shelters, and the lasting impact these storms have on education and community resilience. By speaking with two experienced educators who have firsthand experience in hurricane preparedness Mary Guarino, a dedicated first grade teacher, and Beth Donofrio, a high school teacher whose school had served as a community shelter during Hurricane Ian Through their stories and insights, we'll gain a comprehensive understanding of how different levels of schools tackle the challenges posed by hurricanes and how these experiences shape our communities.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 3:52

Great another alert, I know, and these ring notifications and the weather report ones are just making me more nervous. Okay, so we are preparing for a hurricane, and it's Hurricane Milton and it's coming towards the Sarasota County west coast of Florida, and so today we are going to talk about hurricane preparedness and how schools prepare for hurricanes, what they do with the building, how you prepare your students and what do you do in the aftermath in case there's destruction. So I am at Epiphany Cathedral School and it is an elementary school, pre-k to eight, and I am with Mary Guarino, the first grade teacher, who has been. How long have you been a teacher, mary?

Mary Guarino: 4:40

About 33 years 33 years.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 4:43

Yes.

Mary Guarino: 4:44

Epiphany for 13.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 4:46

And every year we have to prepare for Every year we have something we have to do different. Yes, yeah, and two years ago this area was impacted by Hurricane Ian and you guys suffered some damages.

Mary Guarino: 4:58

Yes, we had the roof kind of unrolled and so we had water damage throughout the school. So we had to evacuate the school and go to different parts of the campus to continue teaching and we had to move our classrooms. My classroom went to the cafeteria and we had to make it seem like a classroom. So you had to set it up and put things on the walls and get all your supplies and make it go as smoothly as possible and make the kids comfortable, kind of say oh, this is an adventure, we have a new room. For the rest, we didn't know how long, so we were actually, I believe, in the cafeteria for three months. Then we had to move everything back into our classrooms and get it all settled again and continue in the classroom for the rest of the year. So it was a lot of transitions for the kids and getting used to things, but kids are resilient and they did very well. How long?

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 5:44

have you guys closed? Before you were able to come back to the classroom we were closed for two weeks Two weeks, yeah.

Mary Guarino: 5:50

So it's like they can see it coming and they know you're watching your phone the whole time and you're nervous, you know. And I think before Ian hit, we came in and we set up, we cleaned up our rooms like we usually do, covered everything with electronics and plastic, move everything away from the outer walls and things like that, try to save as much as possible. Yeah, it's always like a wait and see a surprise when it's over, like what damage do we have? What are we going to need? And it kind of creates a great school community, though, because you all work together and you support each other and you check in with each other during the storm and make sure your class, you know the kids at home are okay.

Mary Guarino: 6:27

And this last one that we had, helene, which wasn't as big when the kids came in, you know you check with every child to make sure they're, you know, didn't have flooding or they're not in a hotel or they, you know, didn't have to escape floodwaters because it's very traumatic for them. So you would like to check in and make sure they're okay and I let them write about it. You know, what did you do during the storm, like some kids were like oh, we built a tent and we, you know, we had a campsite and blah, blah, blah. And some kids were like oh, I watch video games the whole time, or I cooked and baked with my sisters, and so I think that lets them feel a little bit better about it and they like to share their experiences, because everybody's different.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 7:05

Yeah, there are a lot of different stories. I actually just was going down Golden Beach last night and saw some students prior students of ours and they were talking about how, for Hurricane Helene, they had to evacuate or show me videos, you know with their belongings over their head, walking through chest high water. So those students that are experiencing things like that are going to have a very different takeaway from the hurricanes in the future compared to students that were in a different area that didn't feel any impacts on Hurricane Helene. And so Ian peeled the ceiling off. The water came through. Then you're on the first floor and there's two floors of epiphany, so the second floor suffered more damages, but the water came down into your classroom as well. So of course you're looking at loss of materials and what do you do to still be able to teach with, you know, not having the same materials that you need? And of course you have all of your windows are boarded up right now. So how soon do those usually go up and how soon do they come off?

Mary Guarino: 8:10

Well, if we're in class, as they before they call school off, they're going up as if I'm teaching. So you have this, you know the drill and the screws and the kids. It's really loud. The kids are kind of scared. So you talk about it and we're preparing and we don't know what's going to happen. So we, we know, you know from the meteorologist, the wind speeds and things like that, and we talk. We talk about all the tools they use and knowledge that they have. So we want to prepare to the best we can so that we're safe. Um, and they they usually are okay Um, they like to watch it sometimes, you know, and then it's dark all the time. So it's like a different. You keep thinking it's night. They're like I think it's nighttime and I'm like, well, we can. Yeah, it's a little change and this is different, but we have to do it.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 8:56

And you talk about like how do you prepare the students then for the hurricane at home? Do you have any conversations about that? We do.

Mary Guarino: 9:04

We say do you have a hurricane plan? You know, have your parents been doing a hurricane box? What if you know you need to leave your home? Do you have a family in the area, and things like that, just to make sure they feel more secure? Like you know, your parents are in charge. They know what's happening, they're getting a lot of information, so they're preparing for you to be safe during this time, so you don't really need to worry about it and that's it's great that we know ahead of time so we're able to handle this.

Mary Guarino: 9:29

You know, and, uh, I usually do a weather unit and a water cycle unit and just happened to fall during these storms. So it was great because we read about hurricanes and we talked about tornadoes and we talked about preparing for those and we talked about all the meteorologist tools, and I think that the more knowledge they have, the more secure they feel and the more you know they go home and talk to their parents about it, and then I think that also brings up the preparedness at home. You know what if this happens, mom and dad, or what if that happens? You know what are we doing. And because they do have a lot of questions about what's going to happen and you know how are we going to get ready for this.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 10:06

Do any of the students in your classroom now, because they're in first grade, so they're what? Six and seven years old? Do they have any memories of Hurricane Ian?

Mary Guarino: 10:17

Not really no no, just in the past little storms that we've had, you know, they remember, you know having to stay inside and the wind and all of that and how it's been a little scary. Thunder and lightning None of them like thunder and lightning Right the loud noises, things like that. But no, not really. They don't remember that because they weren't in the public school, that school system?

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 10:38

Yeah, do you think that, after the destruction of Hurricane Ian from two years ago and the recent flooding that hit the coast not too far from where we are we're one mile off of the Gulf of Mexico, where that was impacted by a surge of about six feet did they say? Yeah not even what 10 days ago. So when you think about the adults, or maybe the older students and the school itself and those two events, has anything changed in the way that you prepare the school or personally since those?

Mary Guarino: 11:16

Well, I think the last storms are kind of an eye-opener of what can happen, especially Helene, because we've never had storm surge like that. I mean, I've lived in this area for 15 years and we've never and I think people were not prepared for that because they didn't think it was really going to happen, and so there was a lot of people that did not evacuate who should have, and there was a lot of flooding in homes. So I think right now, especially since this storm is coming so close on the end of the other one, people are being more vigilant and they're getting prepared and they're doing more more sandbags, more boarding up, more evacuations, because they're nervous.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 11:55

Yeah, two years ago the water was shut off and I remember we stayed on the island personally and how eerie that felt when there were trucks that were going up and down telling people evacuate. If you're in zone A, evacuate if you're in zone B. The water was shut down, lost power, and I just I feel like the aftermath and the cleanup that took weeks hit our area along this coast so, so hard that this hurricane, knowing that is going to be a direct hit to this area again potentially most likely, I don't know Right now they're saying it is it's making me more nervous and vigilant. And then to know that the storm surge from 10 days ago hit just down the street from where we live and is, of course, you know, close to this area as well, from the school, I feel like I'm taking those things much more seriously and I just think about the mental toll. How is that impacting the students or the staff?

Mary Guarino: 12:58

I definitely think the stress is affecting everybody and also, I think, the unknown. Because you're preoccupied, I know when I'm preoccupied I walk into things and I'm not doing, I'm not as efficient as I usually am, and so I think that in physically you're more tired. You just have so much more to do to set up and to make sure everything's okay and trying to get everything ready for how bad it could be. And then there's the thought of when will I get back to school, when will I get back to a normal life? There's the thought of when will I get back to school, when will I get back to a normal life, and it's also the setback for the kids of not seeing their friends losing out on school.

Mary Guarino: 13:38

So it's kind of a setback for education also, depending on how. I mean, ian, we were out for two weeks, so you lost two weeks of things they were supposed to be learning, because you know you can't really teach during those times. There's no internet. A lot of people didn't have electricity for weeks, some of them two weeks. They were out, you know, so they didn't have access to any of that either. So that is big.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 13:58

Even the phones went down. I remember we couldn't get cell service.

Mary Guarino: 14:01

A lot of them couldn't reach family members, and so there was that stress on top of it, the worry of, oh my gosh, I hope they're okay and I can't reach them. My family, I know, was up North and my sister was so nervous she couldn't reach me for a couple of days and she sent policemen out to my house just to make sure that I was alive. I was okay, yeah. So that is. There's a very big stress factor.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 14:24

Do you have any things in play for how you're going to reach out to people, in case you do lose cell service this time?

Mary Guarino: 14:33

I do not, because it's really hard. I'm hoping if I can get some calls off, I'll call one person and hopefully start a chain so that I don't have to call everybody. Sometimes you can drive to a certain area that does have cell service after the storm is over and be able to connect with those people. But I kind of tell them don't worry, I'm you know, I'll keep you updated as much as I can till I can't anymore, and then as soon as I can, I'll update you know, update you on how I am?

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 15:00

I think that there are those. You remember Nextel phones? Okay, like walkie talkies, I think. There are apps and last time our family did use that app and yeah, so if you're listening and you don't know about it, look it up. I don't remember the name of it, but my husband and I were talking about it last night and we wanted to look into if there was a better one or if we should go back with the one that we already had. But there are apps that you can get, that you can download onto your phone, I think, also making sure that you do things like you know all that hurricane preparedness with charging batteries and having your backup plan and having maybe those like charging packs you know available, and then being able to have an app like that to be able to communicate and I think you got to think of those things ahead of time, because being cut off from everybody during the storm is very scary also.

Mary Guarino: 15:48

Everybody during the storm is very scary also, especially if you're alone in a home or alone with your children. Not being able to reach out to somebody for help or communicate how things are going is scary. It is.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 16:00

Big stress and a lot of people are leaving the area. We just ran into some other teachers, and one had her children in the hallway and they were talking about not wanting to go to a hotel that was on the other coast. He was not looking forward to not being able to potentially have any TV, and so his mother had prepared him by having books from the library that they had taken out.

Mary Guarino: 16:26

So I think that that's another opportunity for kids. Back to board games.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 16:28

Yes, right, you know community, and how do kids come away from their regular routines or things that they enjoy? And then, how are parents preparing their children for that time when no electricity, there's no communication they may have to be indoors during this whole time and then how they're going to be entertained. Right, because you just don't want a bunch of bored kids with high anxiety staring at each other Crafts are great too.

Mary Guarino: 16:54

Crafts you know music.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 16:56

if you can, if you have some access to music or board games, you know anything like that that's hands-on and keep them busy, yeah, and mind's busy and when they come back sometimes I think that children being able to have some sort of a counselor to talk to any children that have big anxiety or concerns or worries going into future storms is a good thing. Did Epiphany do any of that last time?

Mary Guarino: 17:21

We had a guidance counselor on staff. I think if we saw something, we would, you know, refer the child to the guidance counselor. That's a good idea and try to communicate with the parents and see if we get some support.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 17:31

All right, I'm looking around your classroom right now. You've got things wrapped, the electronics, you've got things up on the shelf and they're all wrapped in plastic bags, and the desks are all cleared off and stacked in the middle of the room, chairs are on top of those and you've got a clear touch board and that's wrapped in plastic in case we have any water that comes through the ceilings. And, of course, the windows are all boarded up with wood. And is there anything else you need to do, or are you all?

Mary Guarino: 18:03

wrapped up? I think I'm all wrapped up. You're all wrapped up.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 18:05

Now I can go home and prepare for myself. There you go, all right. Well, thank you so much. Okay, so I am at Venice High School and I'm with Beth D'Onofrio, who was on the podcast about literature and reading, and you do.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 18:22

Lit is Lit, which is awesome A lot of Instagram reels you guys are putting out there. So, as this hurricane is approaching the coast, which is supposed to be on Wednesday, and two years ago, with Hurricane Ian, you were Hurricane Shelter, and so we just spoke with Mary at Epiphany, which we were all teachers together at, and so she was talking about how they were preparing for it. So how do you prepare high school students for a hurricane? And then we'll get into how that is different than the shelter. So what do you do for the students?

Beth Donofrio: 18:55

So for the students ahead of time, we ask them, you know, if anybody needs anything to reach out to us for sure, and we have lots of ways to communicate with our high school students. So we have email and we have a new platform called Thrill Share, which takes the place of texting. The last hurricane that we just had, a week and a half ago, I had two students who were flooded out of their homes and they reached out to me during the time that we were off and said Mrs D'Onofrio, we've been flooded out of my home. I might need some grace with my work. I wanted to let you know where I am.

Beth Donofrio: 19:29

That was really great that they were proactive in that, because that put me on the alert that there might be other kids that were flooded out of their homes. So when I came back to school, I made sure that I made an announcement in all of my classes that said if any of you were flooded or lost your books or lost electricity or anything that you need, please let me know. And I even like. We had a person in my neighborhood that is a snowbird and they decided to rent their house out, so I was able to reach back to my student and say, hey, we have a house for rent in my neighborhood, so that's just a kind of a community thing. But ahead of the storm you know I hate to say this, but it's almost like a snow day arriving People are somewhat excited. People are somewhat excited, so not a lot ahead of, but after the fact, when it's not just a snow day, when there's really been impact. That's when we're really more on the alert to be helping people.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 20:25

Do you see any like anxiety increase, especially after Ian from two years ago? Do you see that now, because the students are older, that they may have a different take on a hurricane that has impacted the way they view or handle it?

Beth Donofrio: 20:39

Yes, so because they're older, they're doing more at home to help prep. So the last one that we had, we found out during the school day on a Tuesday that we were not going to have school anymore on Wednesday and we suddenly lost a lot of kids during the day on Tuesday. They went home, they left school early and they again reached out and said I was here this morning but I'm leaving now because I'm helping my mom prepare for the hurricane. So they start to be more helpers at home and I think kids that were definitely negatively impacted they lost electricity and things like that it's more real for them, people, that I guess that's how human nature is if it directly impacted you, you're more aware if it didn't as much and not as much. Right, yeah, definitely, we definitely have kids that will be.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 21:31

As soon as it's announced, the next day there's no school, they're out yeah so, but I love that you guys have the way to be proactive and the kids are communicating and there's that support where people are looking out for each other's needs, and even at home I mean kids saying I've got to go home so that I can make sure that my home and my family are okay shows a certain level of matureness. So when Hurricane Ian hit, you guys were shelter, and this time you're not, and so how does that happen?

Beth Donofrio: 21:59

Yeah, I honestly don't know how they decide what school becomes a shelter. I don't know if it has to do with the path of the storm itself, but we were shelter the last time. Every time there's a big hurricane, we're going to be out at least three days, even if there's no damage in the area, because it takes a day for the school to prepare to be a shelter. If there's no damage in the area, because it takes a day for the school to prepare to be a shelter, then there's the day of the hurricane, typically, and then it takes a day for them to clean up. So it's almost always a three day deal. When it was Ian, we were out of school for a week teachers and students and then the teachers came back for the second week, but not the students, and we were still a shelter during that second week. Wow, but the teachers all had to come back. The teachers are non-essential staff and we get emails ahead of time that tell us you are non-essential staff, but if we need to recall you, we will. Okay, so that's like we're not on the first line. So the cafeteria workers, the custodians, administration and the school nurses those are all essential workers. So they are out of school now probably, oh wow, getting ready whatever they need to do to get themselves ready, setting up clots in places, getting extra food in for people, probably getting extra supplies for the bathrooms, things along those lines.

Beth Donofrio: 23:19

Nobody can be here as a shelter when we let the kids back in, right? So they have to find a place for every single person who was here for a shelter, no matter what has happened to their home, even if they're not able to go back to their own home. They have to find a different shelter for those people. They have to go somewhere else, yeah, and people are able to bring their pets. People are able to bring their pets, and so my classroom is on the third floor, so that's typically not going to be used as a place for people to be sleeping or wandering around. But other teachers that I know, yes, have had pets in their classrooms and you know whether, whatever's happening, the pet is nervous because of the hurricane or they can't even get them outside. So pets have accidents inside in various locations, not just, I mean, in a hallway, in a bathroom, it's kind of all over the place. School supplies go missing, sometimes books go missing, so those are just some of the consequences of things that happen.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 24:21

So the custodians come back and then there's a big cleanup involved and I'm sure you have to not only get your classroom all back together but then kind of take an account of like is everything there?

Beth Donofrio: 24:32

Exactly Right. Do we have everything? And we do have a protocol. You know, before we leave, we have to unplug everything. We will take things away from the windows, close all the blinds, all of those sorts of things. So today they're allowing teachers to come back to get their rooms ready, because we didn't know on Friday that we wouldn't be here today, Right, today, right. So some teachers maybe you know, that are on a first floor, especially that have books that are low on the ground, that have carpets that might need to be rolled up, little rugs, those sorts of things might need to be tended to.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 25:05

Yeah, and you guys don't have to board any windows here, because it's all hurricane windows.

Beth Donofrio: 25:09

As far as I know, correct.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 25:10

Yeah, pretty new school, which is always, which is helpful. Yeah, the same thing with the, the house, and so I think that that's not only makes it a little bit easier with not having to worry about boarding up, the time that it takes and where to store it and those kinds of things, but then also when the kids are in classroom, it's less worrisome for children to be able to have that the natural light not locked off while they're in the classroom and the activity surrounding it maybe would add to a certain level of heightened anxiety that the storm windows help with reducing. Possibly. You're just getting your classroom ready and no shelter this time, which is a good thing for you guys, because it's less that you have to do when you come back.

Beth Donofrio: 25:48

So stay safe. I'm picking up paper so I can do some grading Excellent.

Dr. Lisa Hassler: 25:53

Excellent, all right, well, thank you, thank you. Thank you and stay safe. Thank you, you too. Preparing for natural disasters, and in this case, hurricanes in schools, is a community effort that not only protects our children but also strengthens our collective resilience. And by working together on these preparations, we build stronger community bonds and develop skills that serve us in all types of challenges. If you have a story about what's working in your schools that you'd like to share, you can email me at lisa@drlisarhassler com, or visit my website at www. drlisarhassler. com and send me a message. If you like this podcast, subscribe and tell a friend. The more people that know, the bigger impact it will have. And if you find value to the content in this podcast, consider becoming a supporter by clicking on the supporter link in the show notes. It is the mission of this podcast to shine light on the good in education so that it spreads, affecting positive change. So let's keep working together to find solutions that focus on our children's success